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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ostentatious different from other adjectives like it?

The words pretentious and showy are common synonyms of ostentatious. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

When is it sensible to use pretentious instead of ostentatious?

The synonyms pretentious and ostentatious are sometimes interchangeable, but pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

When could showy be used to replace ostentatious?

The words showy and ostentatious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ostentatious During its heyday, the light yellow was warming, but not as potentially ostentatious as gold. R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 Lamborghinis ostentatious, Corvettes simplistic, BMWs arrogant. Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2025 Overblown, ostentatious hybrids of classical and local styles, kitschily ornamented with classical detail, all on a scale meant to be overwhelming rather than inviting—that’s what Big Brother’s city hall always looks like. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025 Now, the Chinese leader is set to exhibit a very different image with an ostentatious show of military might. Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostentatious
Adjective
  • Meet Nashville's new crime-fighting Clydesdale Metro Nashville mounted patrol officer Michael Douglas squeezed a three-foot-long rubber chicken, producing an increasingly louder and closer screeching sound to try and provoke a 1,700-pound Clydesdale named Ross.
    Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
  • At the same time, Mercury and Mars are activating your sector of expansion, meaning your inner philosopher is loud.
    Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Jack Cutmore-Scott as Julius Beaufort, an arrogant new money banker at the center of New York society with an interest in Ellen.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Jean stepped out as Nia approached—lean and arrogant, a cigarette pinched between her lips.
    David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This simple yet powerful step turned noisy, unreliable photon signals into clean bursts of single photons — a breakthrough for future quantum technologies.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
  • How to stand out in such a noisy season?
    Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But his apparent attempts to resolve his past misdeeds with grandiose discoveries might well have been an attempt to cope with trauma.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Government buildings in Moscow and grandiose Ministry of Defense infrastructure could become open targets.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Huppert delivers a commanding performance as Marianne Farrère, a wealthy heiress whose extravagant gifts to a much younger artist ignite public outrage.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Okane is desperate at the prospect of losing both her true love and her one defender, and her desperation gives rise to extravagant and harrowing drama.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Whereas the first movie made clear that Spinal Tap was a ridiculous band whose pretentious members didn’t have much musical talent, we’re now supposed to believe its admirers include Sirs Paul McCartney and Elton John.
    Christopher J. Scalia, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2025
  • And though all of Anderson’s artistry and jittery comedic sensibility is present, the director hasn’t created a pretentious version of an action flick; One Battle After Another is the real thing, filled with beautifully shot car chases and shoot-outs.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • So too are gaudy on-ice percentages that usually aren’t repeatable.
    The Athletic NHL, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Those gaudy numbers came on top of fast agility times.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While The Morning Show presents the news business as glossy and glamorous (and often a little pompous), The Paper takes the opposite view with the documentary crew from The Office now focusing on a dying newspaper in Ohio.
    Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ostentatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostentatious. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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