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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The announcement was heavy on pomp and light on circumstance, so most of the details are rather fuzzy.—
O. Rose Broderick,
STAT,
16 Jan. 2026
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But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics.—
Jake Coyle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The elaborate beading ornamentation is a tribal tradition, now in decline as Westernization takes its toll on tribal communities who live in the vicinity of ever-expanding urban areas.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Buried amidst the ornamentation is a tiny frog on a skull that students look to for good luck.—
Rick Steves,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Clydesdales have become a Super Bowl favorite, and their appearance in 2026 will mark their 48th overall in the advertising roster of the gridiron spectacle.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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It’s become largely focussed on creating spectacles, such as the No Kings protests, that can mobilize large numbers of people at breakneck speed to march, sign petitions, and contribute money.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Drinking, flamboyance, and film- and music-making bloomed.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
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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 edifice boasts an abundance of sculpted decoration, while its grand staircase echoes Michelangelo’s design for the Laurentian Library in Florence.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Throughout the home, there has been an obvious attention to detail and decoration.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The brothers operated in the glitz and glamour of the Hamptons and South Beach.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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As millions of former California residents have already concluded, that is something that no amount of sunshine, sand or Hollywood glitz and glamor can overcome.—
Adam B. Summers,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 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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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 31 Jan. 2026.
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