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
Chris Dong, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2025
Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
But the restaurant, known for its sumptuous stromboli, is back open for business.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Today, there are 42 rooms, including grand riads, charming Berber tents, and suites with hot tubs, terraces, and private pools all furnished with sumptuous Moroccan crafts.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sumptuous
Cite this Entry
“Sumptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sumptuous. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sumptuous
adjective
Share