lavish

adjective lav·ish \ ˈla-vish \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: lavish in a Sentence

Definition of lavish

1 : expending or bestowing profusely : prodigal

lavish donors

lavish in giving praise to her employees

2 a : expended or produced in abundance

the lavish attentions of his mother
—George Meredith

b : marked by profusion or excess

a lavish feast

a lavish home

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lavishly

adverb

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lavishness

noun

See lavish defined for English-language learners

See lavish defined for kids

Examples of lavish in a Sentence

a lavish display of flowers
this lavish consumption of our natural resources simply cannot continue

Recent Examples of lavish from the Web

Examples of these lavish apartments are everywhere in Fort Worth.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Lots of apartments are being built in Fort Worth, but are you rich enough to rent one?," 4 June 2018
Because the spaces can do double duty as regular classrooms, the building, known as the Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy, also serves as a lavish Center City campus for the law school.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "How a Philadelphia lawyer turned a historic bank into a shrine to democracy (and his legal career)," 3 June 2018
Contrary to popular belief, Broadway theaters are not known for their lavish sized rooms and with a cast this big, Teen Vogue wanted a glimpse into the small space and backstage world of these two broadway stars.

— dan shinaberry, Teen Vogue, "Mean Girls on Broadway Stars Ashley Park and Kate Rockwell's Dressing Room Tour," 2 June 2018
Ahead of the puck drop, the pregame extravaganza was lavish, spectacular, over the top and an instant hit.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Las Vegas needs more sports — and sports needs more Vegas," 29 May 2018
The purpose of the lavish, four-day, annual event is to raise as much money as possible for two dozen local charities, such as Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, St. Helena Hospital, and Ole Health.

— Fortune, "Rare Wines and Camels — Just Some of the Offerings at This Year's Auction Napa Valley," 26 May 2018
In the age-old battle between the austere and the lavish, sometimes more is just more.

— sadie stein, ELLE Decor, "In Defense of Maximalism," 23 May 2018
Those businesses purchased real estate, including luxury Southern California property such as the lavish Owlwood estate, once owned by pop duo Sonny & Cher.

— jean eaglesham and coulter jones, WSJ, "A Private-Market Deal Gone Bad: Sketchy Brokers, Bilked Seniors and a Cosmetologist," 7 May 2018
There’s an air of luxury in the ultra-lavish space that has the feel of a boutique hotel.

— michael james rocha, sandiegouniontribune.com, "By design, Viejas' new hotel offers a calming escape from the busy casino floor," 29 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lavish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lavish

Middle English laves, lavage, probably from Middle French lavasse, lavache downpour of rain, from laver to wash — more at lavage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

lavish Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of lavish

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance. profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

- profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

- a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

- prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

- a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

- a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

- an exuberant imagination

lavish

verb

Definition of lavish

lavished; lavishing; lavishes

transitive verb

: to expend or bestow with profusion : squander

See lavish defined for English-language learners

Examples of lavish in a Sentence

doting parents lavishing lots of attention on their children
a great actor who lavished his talent in lousy movies

Recent Examples of lavish from the Web

Netflix lavished them with lucrative production deals that offered more creative freedom.

— meg james, latimes.com, "As streaming video grows, TV networks fight to keep their share of upfront ad dollars," 13 May 2018
Everything Pruitt does boosts his standing with the Republican base Conservative media in turn has lavished praise on Pruitt, and, as Emily Atkin noted in the New Republic, has given Pruitt a pass on his luxury air travel.

— umair irfan, Vox, "Outrage from environmentalists will only boost Pruitt’s standing in Trump’s orbit.," 30 Mar. 2018
Israeli officials have lavished praise on the actions of its forces in protecting the border.

— loveday morris, Washington Post, "Israel’s use of fatal fire in Gaza: Excessive force or justified mob control?," 16 May 2018
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has lavished praise on his side, citing their Premier League survival as nothing short of a 'miracle'.

— SI.com, "Beleaguered Newcastle Boss Full of Praise For Squad Mentality Despite Continued Off-Field Turbulence," 15 May 2018
Apollo, a 15-year-old male Plains Zebra, was lavished upon Thursday — pedicure and all.

— monique o. madan, miamiherald, "Apollo the zebra gets a pedicure at Zoo Miami | Miami Herald," 5 Apr. 2018
All of that should be stated as Holtmann and his staff get lavished with praise.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Keita Bates-Diop's NBA decision hangs over an interesting Ohio State basketball offseason," 19 Mar. 2018
L’Auberge Del Mar will lavish your leading lady with a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet featuring an all-day omelet station and cheese station and a cold seafood display with oysters on the half shell and crab claws.

— carolina gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "117 ways to celebrate mom: Your San Diego guide to Mother's Day brunches, lunches and dinners," 7 May 2018
Score one for the sadists at WildClaw Theatre, who with this spooker by Paul Foster mark ten years of lavishing gothic thrills on a niche market that presumably loves them rabidly.

— max maller, Chicago Reader, "Too many explanations spoil all the surprises in Future Echoes," 4 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of lavish

see ¹lavish

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1542

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

lavish Synonyms

Synonyms

blow, dissipate, fiddle away, fritter (away), lose, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away, trifle (away), waste;

Antonyms

conserve;

Near Antonyms

economize, scrimp, skimp;

preserve, protect, save;

hoard, lay up;

Related Words

splurge;

consume, deplete, exhaust, impoverish, overspend, shoot;

indulge, overindulge;

disburse, expend, lay out;

Phrases

play ducks and drakes with (or make ducks and drakes of);

LAVISH Defined for English Language Learners

lavish

adjective

Definition of lavish for English Language Learners

: giving or using a large amount of something
: given in large amounts
: having a very rich and expensive quality

LAVISH Defined for Kids

lavish

adjective lav·ish \ ˈla-vish \

Definition of lavish for Students

1 : giving or involving a large amount : extravagant

The lobby contained a lavish display of flowers.

2 : spent, produced, or given in large amounts

She received lavish praise.

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lavishly

adverb

History for lavish

Lavish comes from an older English noun lavish that meant “plenty.” This noun probably came from a medieval French word lavasse, “a heavy rain.” This French word is derived from a verb laver, “to wash,” which goes back to Latin lavare. Other English words that ultimately trace back to lavare are lavatory and laundry.