extravaganza
Americannoun
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a musical or dramatic composition or production, as comic opera or musical comedy, marked by a loose structure, a frivolous theme, and elaborate costuming and staging.
-
any lavish or opulent show, event, assemblage, etc..
an extravaganza of new housewares on the twelfth floor.
noun
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an elaborately staged and costumed light entertainment
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any lavish or fanciful display, literary or other composition, etc
Etymology
Origin of extravaganza
1745–55; alteration of Italian ( e ) stravaganza extravagance
Explanation
Halftime at the Super Bowl, the Oscar awards ceremony, or the opera Aida performed at the Baths of Caracalla — each of these is an extravaganza, a big, splashy, extravagant entertainment or celebration. The word extravaganza comes from the Italian word estravaganza (or stravaganza), which was an elaborate literary or musical production. When the word appeared in English in the mid-18th century, English speakers turned the estra- into extra- because after all, an elaborate entertainment could certainly be called something "extra." Aida at the Baths of Caracalla, complete with horses, astonishing costumes, and faux-Egyptian temples — now that's an extravaganza.
Vocabulary lists containing extravaganza
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Westing Game
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Warrior Girl Unearthed
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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.
But it is also a social media extravaganza that sees stars don over-the-top looks, vying to create the greatest spectacle.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
The production, co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, jettisons the animal masquerade for a different kind of drag extravaganza.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
That’s the price NJ Transit has put on a claustrophobic round trip to its shores this summer for the upcoming global soccer extravaganza.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
The incident comes as Mexico prepares to be a host country for this summer’s World Cup soccer extravaganza.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
The great winter fireworks extravaganza, as it came to be called, lasted only fifteen minutes.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
