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lavish

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lavish distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of lavish are exuberant, lush, luxuriant, prodigal, and profuse. While all these words mean "giving or given out in great abundance," lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

a lavish party

When might exuberant be a better fit than lavish?

The words exuberant and lavish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

an exuberant imagination

In what contexts can lush take the place of lavish?

In some situations, the words lush and lavish are roughly equivalent. However, lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

a lush green lawn

When is it sensible to use luxuriant instead of lavish?

Although the words luxuriant and lavish have much in common, luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

a luxuriant beard

When is prodigal a more appropriate choice than lavish?

The synonyms prodigal and lavish are sometimes interchangeable, but prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

prodigal spending

When would profuse be a good substitute for lavish?

The meanings of profuse and lavish largely overlap; however, profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

profuse apologies

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 lavish
Adjective
Part of the series' appeal was the family’s lavish lifestyle. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025 Coin is known for his lavish events in the floating city, including a fantastical masquerade ball last October at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta. Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 30 May 2025
Verb
President Trump has been lavishing praise on Rubio. Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 9 May 2025 By Jackie Davalos, Bloomberg Top Silicon Valley executives lavished praise on the Trump administration, supporting its efforts to cut the size of the federal government and create more business opportunities for US tech companies during a summit with lawmakers and officials. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lavish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lavish
Adjective
  • As a Millennial what’s your take on Gen Z’s excessive use of exclamation points?
    Frank DiGiacomo, Billboard, 9 June 2025
  • These messages often include cluttered formatting, excessive explanations and an increasing number of typos or design errors.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • Within the rock samples, researchers saw traces of a silver-gray metal about as rare as gold that was likely more abundant in Earth’s early building materials when the core developed about 4.5 billion years ago.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 1 June 2025
  • Residential conversions seem to be a better solution for downtown’s oldest buildings, not its most abundant ones — places like the Petroleum Building, built in 1956, and the University Building, built in 1910.
    Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Their genre-blending sound laid the foundation for future music icons, influencing everyone from Jimi Hendrix (who once played guitar for them) to The Notorious B.I.G. But just as impactful as their sound was their style: bold, luxurious, and unapologetically Black.
    Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 5 June 2025
  • These Egyptian cotton sheets are both durable and luxurious.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Russia's investigative committee has launched a terrorism investigation into the collapse of two bridges in the border region following incidents likely to heap pressure on the Russian president.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
  • Cramer couldn’t stop heaping compliments on Walden.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • After spending close to $300 million to return Trump to the White House, Musk was poised to have a major role in the administration and be in position to push through regulatory changes in ways that benefited his companies.
    Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 6 June 2025
  • Smith has spent the past 15 years actively involved in criminal justice reform in Kentucky, Tennessee and countries in Central America.
    Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • An extravagant estate long owned by the late Orange County Air Force major general turned homebuilder and civic leader William Lyon has roared onto the market in Southern California.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 June 2025
  • Nothing extravagant—just a modest suburban home and savings accumulated over a lifetime.
    Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Malibu rum drinks were plentiful, the piles of pink sand underneath the beach chairs were pristine, and coolers full of sunscreen were stocked and bountiful.
    Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 30 May 2025
  • Bobcats are secretive, rarely seen predators that most often live in the foothills, canyons, mesa and plateaus where brush and woodland are plentiful, according to CPW.
    Katie Langford, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • In February, Carpenter released a deluxe version of her 2024 album, Short n’ Sweet.
    Walden Green, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
  • Linkin Park’s 2024 album From Zero returns to a bevy of Billboard’s album charts (dated May 31) following its deluxe reissue with additional tracks on May 16.
    Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lavish. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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