ostentatious

[ os-ten-tey-shuhs, -tuhn- ]
See synonyms for ostentatious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others: an ostentatious dresser.

  2. (of actions, manner, qualities exhibited, etc.) intended to attract notice:Lady Bountiful's ostentatious charity.

Origin of ostentatious

1
First recorded in 1650–60; ostentat(ion) + -ious

synonym study For ostentatious

1. See grandiose.

Other words from ostentatious

  • os·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverb
  • os·ten·ta·tious·ness, noun
  • un·os·ten·ta·tious, adjective
  • un·os·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverb

Words Nearby ostentatious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ostentatious in a sentence

  • And Jack come home from a long cruise, with prize-money in his pockets, was as ostentatious as any nouveau riche.

  • Kari averted his gaze because elephants are always irritated by the ostentatious bustle of a rhinoceros.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • Then Griffith observed how delicate and prudent his lovely wife was, without ostentatious prudery; and his heart was at peace.

  • These dinners, formal as they were, are to be distinguished carefully from the extravagant banquets of the ostentatious rich.

    The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
  • Yet there was nothing ostentatious, or which seemed inconsistent with the degree of an opulent burgher.

    The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for ostentatious

ostentatious

/ (ˌɒstɛnˈteɪʃəs) /


adjective
  1. characterized by pretentious, showy, or vulgar display

Derived forms of ostentatious

  • ostentatiously, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012