Sybaritic
Americanadjective
-
(usually lowercase) pertaining to or characteristic of a sybarite; characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure.
to wallow in sybaritic splendor.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of Sybaris or its inhabitants.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- Sybaritically adverb
Etymology
Origin of Sybaritic
< Latin Sybarīticus < Greek Sybarītikós, equivalent to Sybarī́t ( ēs ) Sybarite + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Because of its endless sybaritic (indulgent or luxurious) amenities, Dubai has emerged in the early 21st century as a vacation destination for the wealthy and ostentatious. Sybaritic looks like a complicated word, but to pronounce it, just think of the “sib” in the word sibling, then “uh,” then the “-ritic” of the word critic. One way to remember the pronunciation is a rhyme: not even the harshest travel writer or restaurant critic ever turns down the sybaritic pleasures of Las Vegas.
Vocabulary lists containing sybaritic
100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Wayne State University's Word Warriors: a list of words to revive in your vocabulary
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hard words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Life there was downright Sybaritic compared with his life on the outside.
From Time Magazine Archive
Absent were Honolulu's air of Sybaritic somnolence and Manila's mood of gaudy gaiety.
From Time Magazine Archive
Fly the Sybaritic Skies While many airlines are slashing prices and skimping on service, Regent Air, a new carrier based in Los Angeles, intends to chart a different course.
From Time Magazine Archive
He freely forgave all his tormentors, even Chawner—for had not Chawner procured his release?—and he closed his eyes at last with a smile of Sybaritic satisfaction and gentle longing for the Monday's dawn to break.
From Vice Versa or A Lesson to Fathers by Anstey, F.
Mrs. Penfold was a slight, pretty woman of fifty with invalidish Sybaritic ways, and a character which was an odd mixture of humility and conceit—diffidence and audacity.
From The Mating of Lydia by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
