conspicuous consumption

noun

1. public enjoyment of possessions that are known to be costly so that one's ability to pay for such things is flaunted.

conspicuous consumption

noun

1. spending in a lavish or ostentatious way, esp to impress others with one's wealth

conspicuous consumption

1. Buying unnecessary and expensive products and services as a way to show off wealth. The term was coined by U.S. economist Thorstein Veblen in The Theory of the Leisure Class .

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspicuous consumption¹

Used by Thorstein Veblen in The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)

Example Sentences

For Shaftel this kind of licentious behavior amounts to “conspicuous consumption disguised as urbanity.”

From The Daily Beast

As recently as a few years ago, buying and driving a hybrid was an exercise in conspicuous consumption.

From The Daily Beast

They brag about their conspicuous consumption Jay-Z, eat your heart out.

From The Daily Beast

I am talking about work from Kerwin Charles, Erik Hurst, and Nikolai Roussanov on conspicuous consumption and race.

From The Daily Beast

The Valley is a strange blend of workaholism and conspicuous consumption, hot tubs and traffic jams.

From The Daily Beast

The need of vicarious leisure, or conspicuous consumption of service, is a dominant incentive to the keeping of servants.

From Project Gutenberg

Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.

From Project Gutenberg

High-bred manners and ways of living are items of conformity to the norm of conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption.

From Project Gutenberg

No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption.

From Project Gutenberg

This isn't the old-time expanding economy based on obsolescence and conspicuous consumption.

From Project Gutenberg