ostentatious

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adjective os·ten·ta·tious \ˌä-stən-ˈtā-shəs\

Definition of ostentatious

: attracting or seeking to attract attention, admiration, or envy often by gaudiness or obviousness : overly elaborate or conspicuous : characterized by, fond of, or evincing ostentation an ostentatious display of wealth/knowledge The power of the government was present … but it did not express itself in large and ostentatious buildings. — Albert Hourani

ostentatiously

adverb

ostentatiousness

noun

See ostentatious defined for English-language learners

See ostentatious defined for kids

ostentatious was our Word of the Day on 01/17/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of ostentatious in a Sentence

That pompous excuse for a plush ride is a thumb in the eye to every taxpayer—and in the case of an ostentatious cost-cutter, genuine hypocrisy. —William Safire, New York Times, 2 May 1991
Always proud to sit down with an ice-cold beer in my hand, I was ostentatious about it in town. —Mark Helprin, New Yorker, 30 May 1988
She had driven to Prague from the Netherlands in her Porsche, telling friends she didn't give a hoot how ostentatious she might appear to the comrades. —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 4 Aug. 1986
an ostentatious display of knowledge
wears an ostentatious diamond ring on his little finger

Recent Examples of ostentatious from the Web

Few take Shadow Brokers' threats or their ostentatious demands for cash at face value, but the timing of their re-emergence dropped another hint at the spy games possibly playing out behind the scenes.

— raphael satter, chicagotribune.com, "Cyberattack under control in Ukraine, where it likely originated, officials say", 28 June 2017
Murray stressed the importance of melodic ideas, expressiveness and musicality over ostentatious displays of technique.

— adam shatz, New York Times, "The Ethereal Genius of Craig Taborn", 22 June 2017
Golden State’s Draymond Green isn’t suspended for Game 5, but his ostentatious histrionics to officiating calls that went against him in Game 4 was a distraction for the Warriors.

— jeff zillgitt, USA TODAY, "Warriors' 3-1 lead over Cavaliers has similarities to last year's collapse", 11 June 2017
The Cannes advertising festival (less than two weeks away!) is often ridiculed as a wasteful example of the industry’s ostentatious excess, but maybe there’s money to be made from it after all.

— lara o’reilly, WSJ, "CMO Today: Uber Hires Chief Brand Officer; Ad Blockers Brush Off Chrome Filter Concerns; Macy’s Marketing Makeover", 7 June 2017
There’s a reason Drake skipped the Grammys this year but appeared at the Billboard Awards, on Sunday night, accepting a record-breaking number of trophies and giving an ostentatious performance in the center of the Bellagio Hotel fountain.

— carrie battan, The New Yorker, "Nicki Minaj’s Empty Obsession with Being No. 1", 24 May 2017
High-function trumps high-price, and subtle design details are favored over ostentatious add-ons.

— fiona sinclair scott, CNN, "Milan Design Week 2017: Luxury redefined in 8 new objects", 15 May 2017
However, many Spaniards refuse to recognize it as a legitimate memorial despite its ostentatious design.

— erin blakemore, Smithsonian, "Spain’s Parliament Votes to Exhume a Dead Dictator", 13 May 2017
Jon Michell’s excitable Mayor Shinn is filled with red-faced bluster, well matched by Shannon Page as the mayor’s ostentatious yet more easygoing wife Eulalie, with Johnnie Gillies a persistent, determined Charlie Cowell.

— eric marchese, Orange County Register, "Solid casting helps ‘Music Man’ hit the high notes", 1 May 2017

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

How is ostentatious used?

Ostentatious comes from a Latin word meaning "display," and the idea of display is still very apparent in the English word as it is currently used.

People and things described as ostentatious seem to have put themselves on display; they are practically begging to be looked at. The word is not compliment.

Ostentatious is often applied to buildings that can also be described as luxurious—mansions, fancy high-rises, huge houses with marble columns. Sometimes the description appears in the negative, as when we're told that a house is large, but not ostentatious, which means that it's large but not in a way that calls attention to itself. When the word is applied to objects like clothes and jewelry, the idea is the same: such items attract attention for the luxury they imply.

People who are described as ostentatious—or who have lifestyles described as such—typically are seen as spending money in a way that makes it clear that they have a lot of it. Their consumption may also be described with the word, in which case the emphasis is on the impressive things they buy.

Less often, ostentatious is applied to what attracts attention not because of an implied luxury but because of some other quality. Someone's boastful declarations about volunteer work may be described, for example, as ostentatious.

Origin and Etymology of ostentatious

see ostentation

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First Known Use: 1590

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of ostentatious

showy, pretentious, ostentatious mean given to excessive outward display. showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste. the performers' showy costumes pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing. a pretentious parade of hard words ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade. the ostentatious summer homes of the rich