conspicuous consumption

American  

noun

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

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conspicuous consumption British  

noun

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

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conspicuous consumption Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of conspicuous consumption

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conspicuous consumption

The best things in life are not always free, but there’s plenty you can do without conspicuous consumption.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026

To my mind, social media is the problem, enticing everyone to covet conspicuous consumption.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

But it has plenty to pitch concerning the joys and burdens of conspicuous consumption.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2025

“Luxury” is a word now almost solely associated with objects and conspicuous consumption — a stand-in for “expensive” that ignores the feeling of luxury found in the small micro-luxuries of everyday life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023

But despite his aversion to money and conspicuous consumption, Chris’s political leanings could not be described as liberal.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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