lavish

adjective lav·ish \ ˈla-vish \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 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

—

lavishly

adverb

—

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

There, he and first lady Melania Trump were treated to a welcome ceremony and a lavish, black-tie dinner by May, her husband, Philip, and a host of business leaders.

— alexander smith /, NBC News, "Trump in Britain: President faces dozens of protests across U.K.," 13 July 2018
Macron — who at 40 is young enough to be Trump's son — was the first foreign leader treated to a lavish state visit to Washington.

— raf casert, Fox News, "Friend or foe at NATO? Who knows when Trump comes to dinner," 10 July 2018
Guests enjoyed lavish breakfast spread provided by Howard's Market, beverages courtesy of Republic National Distributing Company, player gift packs, an awards luncheon, raffles and a silent auction.

— david perez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "RNDC Golf Classic supports victims of cerebral palsy | Video," 18 June 2018
All was serene, however, during a lavish evening welcome ceremony at Blenheim Palace.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Trumps attend black-tie gala at UK’s Blenheim Palace," 12 July 2018
Prince Harry, the queen’s grandson, and Meghan Markle married in a lavish ceremony in Windsor Castle in May. The couple is now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

— christina boyle, latimes.com, "Britain's royal family is ready for its first same-sex marriage — even as some straight Britons opt out," 3 July 2018
The pricing was announced at the tail end of Oppo’s lavish reveal event that was held at the Louvre in Paris today.

— nick statt, The Verge, "Oppo’s new Find X flagship smartphone will cost £999 and ships in August," 19 June 2018
His niece, Ganya Usmanova, 24, married her tennis star husband Vazha Uzakov, 29, in a lavish ceremony in Uzbekistan.

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "A Russian Billionaire Threw His Niece the Most Extravagant Wedding," 6 Dec. 2017
The two married in a famously lavish ceremony in Montreal in 1994, and the couple have three children together.

— megan friedman, Good Housekeeping, "Celine Dion's Husband, René Angélil, Has Died After a Lengthy Cancer Battle," 14 Jan. 2016

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

And this isn’t to suggest the Bulls should’ve lavished a five-year, $146 million max deal on LaVine.

— k.c. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls must match Zach LaVine's 4-year, $78M offer sheet from Kings to keep rebuild's momentum," 6 July 2018
Most of his attention seemed to be lavished on her blue silk dress, which reflects his study with an English painter who had settled here.

— thomas hine, Philly.com, "Benjamin West at PAFA: 'Death is a lightning-spewing zombie on a white horse, spreading terror'," 16 May 2018
At the same meeting, FIFA President Gianni Infantino lavished praise on Russia despite concerns about Putin's leadership, including the invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

— rob harris, Fox News, "Dutch soccer great Van Basten rejects Putin meeting concerns," 12 July 2018
But the nauseating flattery Trump lavished on this mass murderer did little to promote those interests.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Trump thinks his personal relationships with dictators will save the world. He's wrong | Trudy Rubin," 15 June 2018
Marotta's comments may come as no surprise to fans of the two Italian clubs, after Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri stirred the rumour pot in January by lavishing praise on the Italy international.

— SI.com, "Comments From Senior Executive Steer Juventus Into Pole Position to Sign Milan Defender This Summer," 3 June 2018
In May 2015 Miami lavished a $96 million contract extension upon Tannehill that runs through the 2020 season.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "What makes this the ultimate defining season for Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill | Miami Herald," 21 May 2018
Given the payoff, all the carriers are chasing the prosperous by lavishing perks on them.

— michael sasso, chicagotribune.com, "Delta shows targeting the wealthy is a winning strategy," 2 May 2018
Given the payoff, all the carriers are chasing the prosperous by lavishing perks on them.

— michael sasso, Bloomberg.com, "Delta Airfares Show Targeting the Wealthy Is a Winning Strategy," 2 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.

—

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.