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César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz’s hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and the phrase “to put on the ritz” means “to indulge in ostentatious display.” The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1919.
Examples of ritzy in a Sentence
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and serving an elite clientele from within one of Philadelphia's ritziest suburbs, Lavin grew a modest marijuana distribution operation into a cocaine empire.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
The sailing boat had been submerged beneath the barge in Biscayne Bay, where there are several small islands, including Star Island, peppered with ritzy mansions.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Bravo launched its series following a group of acquaintances who party in New York's ritzy Hamptons in 2017, with a group that shifted like stepped upon sand.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ritzy
Cite this Entry
“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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