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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
Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Sponsors this year include Park Life (their team will be pouring wine at the event), along with Mercedes-Benz of Orlando and Porsche of Orlando, whose beautiful rides serve as ritzy backdrops for event photo-ops.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Inside a ritzy event venue overlooking the Kansas City skyline, Royals majority owner John Sherman on Wednesday unveiled plans for a new stadium in Crown Center, a celebratory announcement that marked the apex of the team’s yearslong, chaotic hunt for a new home.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
This one regrettable fight between husband and wife has far-reaching implications for the community surrounding a ritzy LA country club, where Josh is the general manager and Ashley and Austin are his underlings.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 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 28 Apr. 2026.
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