as in pomp
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer ostentation of the rock star's mansion was overwhelming
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ostentation
What existed in the White House was a relative lack of ostentation — formal, but showing occasional signs of wear and tear, proof that this was a People’s House, not a palace.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
That is the point: not to impress with ostentation or big stones, but to evoke quiet wonder.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2025
Formula 1 has Monaco, with its ostentation and air of exclusivity.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Never through excess or ostentation, but through quiet discipline — a meditative expression of grace.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentation
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
That is the point: not to impress with ostentation or big stones, but to evoke quiet wonder.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2025
Formula 1 has Monaco, with its ostentation and air of exclusivity.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Never through excess or ostentation, but through quiet discipline — a meditative expression of grace.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostentation
Noun
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His backing musicians kick up dust, eschewing the post-rock pomp favored by his contemporary Chuck Johnson in favor of riverine structures that reflect the geologic time scale Walker wanted to capture here.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Crisman used to spend a week in the host city, soaking in the pomp and pageantry.—
Patrick Whittle,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His photographs vibrate with the excess of their ornamentation, with an audacity of presence that exceeds the realm of the emblematic.—
Zoë Hopkins,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Its tapered legs and subtle ornamentation give it an old world quality that still looks right at home in a contemporary designscape.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Here, the brand positioned itself not as a narrator but as a host — facilitating collective experience rather than staging spectacle.—
Yiling Pan,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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The spectacle surrounding the case has only been exacerbated by a flurry of anonymous notes to media organizations, variously claiming to know Guthrie’s location, demanding payment for her safe return, or even alleging to be the kidnappers themselves.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Drinking, flamboyance, and film- and music-making bloomed.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
-
His newfound prominence and flamboyance — the eyeliner, the frequent shirtlessness, the leather pants — attract some vocal haters, but he’s gotten used to it.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The white-tablecloth service transforms the casual diner into a romantic destination featuring festive decorations and a specialty menu.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Feb. 2026
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Not far from the festival, many families visited the Grand Century Mall in San Jose's Little Saigon neighborhood, shopping for groceries and decorations ahead of the holiday.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beneath the glamour and glitz is a heartwarming story that continues to dazzle and amaze every year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
In the 1990s and 2000s, Sundance was an offbeat destination for Hollywood’s creative talent, rejecting the glitz of European festivals and the solemnity of awards season in favor of strong movies that garnered word-of-mouth interest.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But then, what is art if not an attempt to tidy up the real world’s teeming luxuriance?—
Sebastian Smee,
Washington Post,
5 Dec. 2023
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The comic luxuriance of Roman references should not blind us to the significance of these constant appeals to the Roman Republic and to classical virtue.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2022
Noun
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So that drove a kind of character choice as well about the gaudiness of the society.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
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Could mannish tailoring and ‘80s gaudiness be on their way out?—
Ari Stark,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostentation. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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