1
as in loud
excessively showy
wears an ostentatious diamond ring on his little finger
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
an ostentatious man who desperately wants to impress people with his newly acquired wealth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ostentatious
The show’s beating heart is Cumming, who peacocks across the Scottish Highlands in ostentatious costumes while delivering one game show twist after the next.
—
Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
Dell is not trying to be ostentatious.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Besides, $500 gets you a pretty decent phone these days — without ostentatious gold and a close affiliation with a president who has a decades-long track record of launching and sinking well over a dozen businesses.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
Underneath all the spandex and over-the-top production numbers is a sincere film that cares as much about sharing the joy of music as satirizing its ostentatious performance.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
Dell is not trying to be ostentatious.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Besides, $500 gets you a pretty decent phone these days — without ostentatious gold and a close affiliation with a president who has a decades-long track record of launching and sinking well over a dozen businesses.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
Underneath all the spandex and over-the-top production numbers is a sincere film that cares as much about sharing the joy of music as satirizing its ostentatious performance.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostentatious
Adjective
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Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel already established a Gothic world in which the trauma is as loud as the wind on the moors, and Emerald Fennell’s adaptation excises major portions of the book to streamline that atmospheric darkness and ultimate tragedy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And ironically, the most arrogant ones are the worst ones.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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But there’s a throughline in Smith’s most popular works — he’s been cast repeatedly as a villain, and usually an arrogant or smug one.—
Sophia Solano,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The world was a noisy, crowded place in that era.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
This is the best place both to hear the speech (otherwise the room is too noisy) and to watch the faces of people gathered around the screens.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Jackson resigned and formed his own organization, PUSH – which originally stood for People United to Save Humanity before being amended to the less grandiose People United to Serve Humanity.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2026
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In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Williams draws us into the characters' magical realm with a playful yet slightly sinister music box theme that soon expands out into a grandiose series of orchestral broomstick swoops, setting the stage for the mega-successful series to come.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
New York, every pair of true-blue jeans and oversize blazer and painfully gaudy luxe apartment faithfully reproduced.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Darnold’s stats weren’t gaudy, but his steady, mistake-free performance was what the Seahawks needed on a night Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III totaled 161 scrimmage yards and Seattle’s defense dominated.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Newsom’s shadow diplomacy, widely seen as a pretentious distraction during the Biden years, has a different look at a moment of nativism and trade conflict in Washington.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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Elevated with an ever-evolving menu of dishes in a non-pretentious yet upscale environment, Forty 1 is led by Chef Lindsey Dale who is no stranger to fresh, local ingredients, and who also works closely with local purveyors.—
David Duran,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For the 2026 reimagining, Fennell worked with costume designer Jacqueline Durran to create dozens of costumes (Cathy alone, played by Margot Robbie, had 50) that were heavily inspired by the extravagant, unselfconscious and campy outfits of the mid-century.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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One-upmanship, extravagant architectural plans, and a comparatively short construction schedule result in big bills, which are often not reflected in the original bids.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When a pompous male customer refused to be waited on by a female server, Bass quietly approached the table.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
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Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostentatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostentatious. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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