sumptuous
adjective
Did you know?
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens may be a few of your favorite things, but are they sumptuous? Alas, though the best things in life are often free, sumptuous is a child of the Latin word sumptus, meaning “expense,” and it typically describes things that can only be had at some significant expense. A sumptuous lifestyle, for example, is more likely to involve silver-white bling than a silver-white winter that melts into spring. Sumptus has another English relation, this one tied even more closely to conspicuous consumption: sumptuary laws are largely historical regulations limiting extravagant expenditures and habits, especially on moral or religious grounds. (The sump in consumption is coincidental; that word comes from consume, which has its roots in Latin sumere meaning “to take up, take.”)
Examples of sumptuous in a Sentence
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
And that’s become a background topic this week, how a once-sumptuous secondary ticket market has become desolate.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Studded with ultra-exclusive resorts and sumptuous private villas, islands in the Grenadines like Bequia, Mustique, and Canouan are said to be where billionaires go to get away from the millionaires.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
The kitchen is outfitted with top-tier appliances, dual islands, and a casual dining area, while a sumptuous primary retreat comes with dual baths, a beauty salon, and an ultra-luxe closet.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sumptuous
Cite this Entry
“Sumptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sumptuous. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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sumptuous
adjective
