Did you know?
César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz’s hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and the phrase “to put on the ritz” means “to indulge in ostentatious display.” The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1919.
Synonyms
Examples of ritzy in a Sentence
Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
All of those ritzy features—and many more—are covered by a monthly HOA bill that tops $11,800.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
Neighborhoods to Know Back Bay: Often regarded as the ritziest neighborhood in Boston, Back Bay is home to Newbury Street, Copley Square, and the Prudential Center.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2024
As of September 2023, the median home sale price within the ritzy resort community was an eye-popping $5.7 million.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2024
Ewan McGregor initially seems like an odd casting choice to play Count Alexander Rostov — a 1920s aristocrat whose mouthy ways lead to his getting forever confined by a Bolshevik court panel to the ritzy Metropol hotel.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
The campus, which sits next to less ritzy building hosting an events company and the Hollywood Palms Inn & Suites motel, will also feature a theater, gallery, rooftop restaurant and an outdoor event space intended to become a new destination.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Instead, the sophisticated traditional abode draws inspiration from ritzy locales like Italy and London and strikes a balance between classic architecture and contemporary design.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024
End trails on the east side, stroll through the ritzy Seacliff neighborhood, and head north to the numerous trails of the Presidio, which eventually connect all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge.
—Carey Jones, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ritzy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ritzy
Cite this Entry
“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share