extravagance

[ik-strav-uh-guhns]

noun

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.

extravagance

/ ɪkˈstrævəɡəns /

noun

1. excessive outlay of money; wasteful spending

2. immoderate or absurd speech or behaviour

Word History and Origins

Origin of extravagance¹

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

Example Sentences

And those who didn’t have benefited indirectly from its extravagance.

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This was the Roaring Twenties, a time of great affluence and extravagance among wealthy Whites.

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When the base is humble, the smallest extravagance reads as grace.

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From tech moguls buying private islands to media personalities flaunting extravagance, cultural conversations have shifted toward asking whether extreme wealth should come with a moral obligation.

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The trend toward extravagance dovetailed nicely with the emergence of baby boomers and older Gen X–ers with more disposable income, the hankering for less-traveled international locales and a generational shift toward more creature comforts.

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Related Words

• absurdity 
• exaggeration 
• excess 
• luxury 
• squandering www.thesaurus.com