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Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of extravagant are excessive, exorbitant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When is excessive a more appropriate choice than extravagant?

While the synonyms excessive and extravagant are close in meaning, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When would exorbitant be a good substitute for extravagant?

The synonyms exorbitant and extravagant are sometimes interchangeable, but exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

In what contexts can extreme take the place of extravagant?

While in some cases nearly identical to extravagant, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

Where would immoderate be a reasonable alternative to extravagant?

In some situations, the words immoderate and extravagant are roughly equivalent. However, immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When is it sensible to use inordinate instead of extravagant?

The meanings of inordinate and extravagant largely overlap; however, inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

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 extravagant Bezos and Sánchez will get married on Friday, the centerpiece of an extravagant three-day celebration. Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 On Thursday, celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, DiCaprio, Kylie Jenner and others boarded water taxis at various luxurious hotels in Venice, Italy, ahead of the couple's extravagant wedding celebrations. Stephanie Giang-Paunon , Emily Trainham , Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025 As the Fourth of July weekend approaches, Orlando and Central Florida offer a number of extravagant fireworks displays and other ways to celebrate the holiday. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025 The Las Vegas Strip is America’s emblem of excess — and extravagant energy use. Max Bearak, New York Times, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for extravagant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extravagant
Adjective
  • While wasteful spending in health insurance markets has been targeted by the administration to lower the tax burden for Americans, critics are concerned that sweeping cuts and changes will only push many off health coverage, subsequently driving up costs in the long-term.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
  • Federal auditing guidelines will be updated to require the use of a single-year format to better track granular transactions that policymakers suspect could be driving wasteful spending, according to the memo.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Missouri’s Felony Murder Statute is overly broad, often misused, and excessive.
    Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • Watch for excessive panting, lagging behind, or stumbling.
    Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Because kids don’t always need an expensive class or activity in order to learn valuable life skills.
    Miranda Rake, Parents, 25 June 2025
  • The prices vary by area, but the general price range is between $24 and $45, with the Mariner's Boil being more expensive.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • Whether the Ferriers are on foot or in a car, the director choreographs spectacular carnage around them, a visceral cocktail of alien death rays turning their victims to dust, or city infrastructure being demolished with extreme prejudice.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 June 2025
  • The evidence is overwhelming that links extreme heat and air pollution to climate change.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Interacting with other Substack writers can lead to valuable cross-promotion opportunities.
    Jane Hanson, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Playing multiple sports has taught West valuable lessons for his hockey career.
    Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.
    Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Incredibly costly, tapestries were a status symbol for the wealthy, notably, the nobility and royalty, and used in their public and private spaces, from dining and gathering rooms to bed chambers.
    Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2025
  • Similarly, our transit system — the CTA, Pace and Metra — needs an overhaul, but not through costly projects like the $1 billion-per-mile Red Line expansion.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Jeff Bezos was set to celebrate his lavish wedding to Lauren Sánchez at the Fondazione Cini, a cultural institution on the island which occupies a large part of a Benedictine monastery established there in 982 A.D.
    Max Norman, New Yorker, 27 June 2025
  • The fourth-richest person in the world is set to have a lavish wedding in the Italian city, an event that has caused consternation online and in Venice.
    James Powel, USA Today, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extravagant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extravagant. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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