ostentatious
adjective
Albert Hourani
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Both ostentatious and the related noun ostentation can be traced to the Latin verb ostentāre, meaning "to display," and the idea of display persists in the English word’s current use: people and things described as ostentatious seem to be practically begging to be looked at. Ostentatious is often applied to objects and buildings that can also be described as luxurious—flashy jewelry, mansions, edifices with marble columns. Someone with an ostentatious lifestyle spends money in a way that makes it obvious that they have a lot of it. When used in negative constructions—"the house is large but not ostentatious"—the implication is that display isn’t the point.
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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.
Examples of ostentatious in a Sentence
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
PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
The natural sublime is big, ostentatious, unmistakable.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
There aren’t many obvious or ostentatious signs of wealth, other than a few pristine trucks and SUVs in the courthouse parking lot, and a new community center in Mentone that cost millions and is barely used.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
In Nepal, the flag was tied to anger at youth unemployment and at the ostentatious wealth of political dynasties displayed online.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Cite this Entry
“Ostentatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostentatious. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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ostentatious
adjective
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