lavish

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adjective lav·ish \ ˈla-vish \

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

On the opposite side, a roomy, marble shower — sans door, with two shower heads — becomes more lavish with a white chevron design dividing the two sides.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Rustic yet luxurious, this golf course ranch is perfect for a big family," 24 Aug. 2017
As the entertainment venue received more notoriety, La Havana Madrid grew into a lavish supper club featuring live Cuban musical acts.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "'La Havana Madrid' resurrects nightclub with patron, performer stories," 8 Aug. 2017
Like most lavish celebrity pads, the 4,021 square-foot home featuring four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms is no bargain.

— marissa miller, Teen Vogue, "Cara Delevingne and Sister Poppy Buy Jared Leto’s Los Angeles Home," 7 Aug. 2017
He was found guilty during non-judicial punishment proceedings in February for accepting lavish meals and wine from Francis and paid a $7,500 fine.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Has Navy been going soft on most suspects in historic 'Fat Leonard' corruption scandal?," 22 July 2017
In budget, in scale, and in casting, The Fifth Element feels like any other big Hollywood sci-fi movie, featuring popular English-speaking actors running around a high-concept world, complete with lavish sets and CGI effects.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How The Fifth Element Subverted Sci-Fi Movies," 19 July 2017
A normally modest Lisa Gherardini appears for her sitting heavily rouged, her hair in a snood, her lavish jewelry and ornamental scarves someone else’s idea.

— christine dolen, miamiherald, "Intriguing stories swirl in new play about the iconic Mona Lisa," 17 July 2017
Should this unfolding disaster not have prompted the Prime Minister to prioritize relief and aid over politicking at the lavish expense of hardworking taxpayers in Canada?

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "Canada and Sweden’s Misguided Abortion Crusade," 17 July 2017
The defendants are accused of spending millions to fund a lavish lifestyle for Alison-Madueke.

— tom schoenberg, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Seeks One57 Condo Cash in Nigerian Oil Corruption Case," 14 July 2017

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

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lavish Synonyms

Synonyms

baroque, devilish, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fancy, immoderate, inordinate, insane, intolerable, excessive, overdue, overextravagant, overmuch, overweening, plethoric, steep, stiff, towering, unconscionable, undue, unmerciful

Antonyms

middling, moderate, modest, reasonable, temperate

Related Words

boundless, endless, immeasurable, infinite, limitless; unbearable, unjustifiable, unwarranted; improper, inappropriate, thick, unseemly; unrestrained

Near Antonyms

deficient, inadequate, insufficient; minimal, minimum

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

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

But the best was the legendary O'Neal Browning, whom Ebony lavished with coverage.

— mitchel p. roth, Smithsonian, "Desegregation Came Early at the Texas Prison Rodeo," 30 Aug. 2017
On Friday, as the storm began lashing the Gulf Coast, Mr. Trump posted several updates on the status of the storm and lavished praise on the government’s response.

— mark landler, New York Times, "Trump to Travel to Texas With Torrential Rain Still in the Forecast," 27 Aug. 2017
Interviewing Rooney on Sky Sport's Monday Night Football, the former Liverpool stalwart couldn't resist to the temptation to get a little dig in on Rooney, to balance out the praise being lavished on the five-time Premier League winner.

— SI.com, "Jamie Carragher Stokes Merseyside Rivalry by Posing Cheeky Post-Match Question to Wayne Rooney," 22 Aug. 2017
Janish was part of several critical double plays at shortstop, Joseph threw out a runner trying to steal, and Showalter lavished praise on Rickard in left field and Gentry in right field.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Unlikely contributions help Orioles defeat Rays, provide a path forward," 25 June 2017
If Weber was the art director’s de facto brother, Aquilon was his unattainable dream lover, lavished with attention, books, advice, and page after page of GQ real estate.

— david kamp, GQ, "It All Started Here: The Gay Legacy of GQ," 23 June 2017
Democrats had lavished attention and money on Tuesday’s special election, hoping for a victory that would underscore Republican worries about Trump and serve as a harbinger of a Democratic wave in 2018.

— jonathan lemire, The Seattle Times, "In Iowa, the president channels his inner candidate Trump," 22 June 2017
The U.S. lavished Pakistan with military and civilian aid, and in return Pakistan granted the U.S. forward bases for military operations in Afghanistan and drone strikes in its own tribal areas.

— NBC News, "China May Soon Establish Naval Base in U.S. Ally Pakistan," 19 June 2017
Principal Lisa Ogan presented Hanke with a bouquet and lavished praise for the huge efforts of she made along with the the teacher-models, students and numerous behind-the-scenes workers who made the first-ever fashion production a stunning success.

— andrea mills, Orange County Register, "Cerro Villa fashion students dream up a dramatic fashion show," 14 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of lavish

see ¹lavish

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1542

See Words from the same year

lavish Synonyms

Synonyms

heap, rain, pour, shower

Antonyms

conserve

Related Words

gush, stream; flood, inundate, overflow, overwhelm, swamp; bombard, hail

Near Antonyms

hold back, keep, reserve, retain, withhold

LAVISH Defined for English Language Learners

lavish

play

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

play

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.

lavish

verb

Definition of lavish for Students

lavished; lavishing

:to spend, use, or give in large amounts

They lavished attention on the children.

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See words that rhyme with lavish Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lavish Spanish Central: Translation of lavish Nglish: Translation of lavish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lavish for Arabic speakers

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lavish

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