extravagance

American  

[ik-strav-uh-guhns] / ɪkˈstræv ə gəns /

noun

• extravagances
  plural

1. excessive or unnecessary expenditure or outlay of money.

   Antonyms:

   frugality

2. an instance of this.

   That sports car is an inexcusable extravagance.

3. unrestrained or fantastic excess, as of actions or opinions.

   Synonyms:

   profusion, lavishness

4. an extravagant action, notion, etc..

   the extravagances one commits in moments of stress.

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extravagance British  

/ ɪkˈstrævəɡəns /

noun

1. excessive outlay of money; wasteful spending

2. immoderate or absurd speech or behaviour

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• extravagances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of extravagance

1635–45; < French, Middle French; see extravagant, -ance

Explanation

Use the noun extravagance when you're talking about something that's over the top, especially when it comes to spending money. Ordering a $500 hamburger for dinner would be an extravagance. Money is usually the subject when people talk about extravagance, although the word can also mean having too much of something, whether it's anger or flowery wallpaper. In Latin, the root word extravagari means "wander outside or beyond," and originally extravagance was used to describe something that was unusual — "wandering outside" the norm. It wasn't until the 1700s that the word became associated specifically with spending too much money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extravagance extravagances

As a result, Prof Voon says, friends or family can regard the change in behaviour as generosity or extravagance - rather than anything pathological - and so it continues.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

Trust that if you’ve never enjoyed your eggs with such extravagance and complexity, it will change your palate for the better.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

When protests broke out to oust the Shah, she showed up for her community, a tightknit cluster of graduate students who were frustrated by his extravagance and tyranny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

To anyone who disagreed with the need for a ship, Del Toro would explain that it was not an extravagance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

They got rid of the extravagance favored by the monarchy.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

Saudi Arabia is focusing on Vision 2030's more pragmatic ventures as extravagances like NEOM, a futuristic city in the desert, and Riyadh's cuboid skyscraper Mukaab, are scaled back or scrapped to save costs.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Kelce, then, is another type of distraction, a reminder that Murphy trades in some of the same extravagances he may be critiquing.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

Prosecutors say Mr Biden "wilfully" failed to either pay or file his taxes to the Internal Revenue Service from 2016 to 2019, instead spending his money on personal extravagances.

From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2024

But then they pay off their debts and the taxes on their winnings, and indulge in a few extravagances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2023

“I’m glad of it, that’s one of your foolish extravagances, sending flowers and things to girls for whom you don’t care two pins,” continued Jo reprovingly.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• absurdity
• exaggeration
• excess
• luxury
• squandering