lavish

1 of 3

adjective

lav·​ish ˈla-vish 

1

: expending or bestowing profusely : prodigal

lavish donors

lavish in giving praise to her employees

2

a

: expended or produced in abundance

a lavish use of color

with lavish attention to detail

b

: marked by profusion or excess

a lavish feast

a lavish home

lavishly adverb

lavishness noun

lavish

2 of 3

verb

lavished; lavishing; lavishes

transitive verb

: to expend or bestow with profusion : squander

lavishness

3 of 3

noun

lav·​ish·​ness

plural -es

1

: a lavish quality : abundance

marveling at the lavishness of the green world about him

—Ferdinan Moltke-Hansen

2

: a lavish manner or propensity : extravagance, prodigality

granted with special lavishness to the medical profession

—Richard Watts

Synonyms of lavish

Adjective

• excessive
• extravagant
• extreme
• steep
• insane

Verb

• heap
• pour

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of lavish in a Sentence

Adjective

a lavish display of flowers

this lavish consumption of our natural resources simply cannot continue

Verb

doting parents lavishing lots of attention on their children

a great actor who lavished his talent in lousy movies

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The show sends Pride & Prejudice‘s resident frump (a charming Ella Bruccoleri) on a journey of self-discovery filled with kindly relatives, enormous books, lavish balls and, yes, eligible suitors. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026

The food is increasingly lavish and varied, and some new traditions have replaced old ones. —Ani Duzdabanyan, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Verb

In one particularly confessional episode, the Belgian star lavishes his wife with praise while waxing lyrical about his past mistakes. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026

Originally destined for slaughter during the Eid al-Adha festival, the 1,500-pound animal was seized by authorities, spared sacrifice and relocated to the capital’s zoo, where keepers lavish it with care. —Al Emrun Garjon, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English laves, lavage "extravagant, wasteful," from attributive use of lavas, lavesse "excess, prodigality" (though attested later), probably borrowed from Middle French lavasse, lavache "torrential rain, downpour," from laver "to wash" (going back to Latin lavāre) + -asse, -ache, augmentative and depreciative suffix, going back to Latin -ācea, feminine of -āceus -aceous — more at lye

Note: The word lavasse/lavache is well-attested in northern dialects of French (see Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch), and in Middle French is found in the work of authors with a definite northern connection (Jean Wauquelin, Jean Molinet—see Dictionnaire du Moyen Français). Presumably it is from this milieu that the word was passed into English in the fifteenth century. Evidence for it in Anglo-French is apparently lacking.

Verb

derivative of lavish entry 1, perhaps by construal of -ish (as in admonish, astonish) as a causative verbal suffix

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1542, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lavish

• lavish on/upon
• lavish with

Rhymes for lavish

• ravish

Kids Definition

lavish

1 of 2 adjective

lav·​ish ˈlav-ish 

1

: spending or giving more than is necessary : extravagant

lavish with praise

2

: spent, produced, or given freely

lavish gifts

lavishly adverb

lavishness noun

lavish

2 of 2 verb

: to spend or give freely

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English lavas "an abundance," probably from early French lavasse, lavache "a downpour of rain," derived from Latin lavare "to wash" — related to laundry, lavatory, lotion