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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.
Synonyms
Examples of ritzy in a Sentence
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 12 July 2024
From ritzy shopping in Naples and Palm Beach to wandering the historic and well-preserved streets of St. Augustine and Micanopy, each location contributes uniquely to Florida’s appeal as a tourist destination.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 11 July 2024
The ashram is on ritzy Paradise Island, adjacent to the Atlantis resort.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 11 July 2024
However, inventory in this ritzy community is low, and homes come with eye-watering price tags.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ritzy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ritzy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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