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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, 9 Jan. 2026
And until Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Bills in 2014, there was a bubbling anxiety that the moment ownership changed hands, the team would be moved to a ritzy big city that’s the antithesis of Buffalo.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The daughter of Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones was found dead at a ritzy San Francisco hotel in the early hours of New Year’s Day, according to reports.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Chorizo tacos Bardot Brasserie Helmed by award-winning chef Michael Mina, this ritzy French brasserie inside the Aria Resort & Casino is the place to see and be seen in Las Vegas thanks to its buzzy ambience.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ritzy
Cite this Entry
“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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