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
Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 4 Jan. 2026
The whole look felt assuredly Aspen—cherrypicking from the glamorous sartorial pressure points of the ’70s and ’80s, luxuriating in high-level vintage pulls and sumptuous fabrics.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
As a Ritz-Carlton, there’s a baseline of attentive service, sumptuous linens, and ornate furnishings.
—AFAR Media, 30 Dec. 2025
Similar to the rest of the villa, sumptuous frescos decorated the space, named for its remarkable motif of peacocks.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Sumptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sumptuous. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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sumptuous
adjective
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