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
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2025
While her sumptuous sound sometimes brings Vaughan to mind, Reeves has woven her own musical identity out of her love of Brazilian and Caribbean music and R&B.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2025
The fourth is congratulating the kid for finding Courtland Sutton over the top for a sumptuous 52-yard score on fourth-and-2.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
The base of patchouli and musk adds depth for a magnetic, woodsy floral that will cling to your skin like a sumptuous suede jacket.
—Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sumptuous
adjective
Share