lavish
Americanadjective
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expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion.
lavish spending.
- Synonyms:
- wild, unrestrained, wasteful, unreasonable, thriftless, intemperate, improvident, immoderate, extravagant, excessive
-
using or giving in great amounts; prodigal (often followed byof ).
lavish of his time;
lavish of affection.
- Synonyms:
- unsparing, openhanded, munificent, liberal, free, effusive, bountiful, generous
- Antonyms:
- tight-fisted, tight, stingy, parsimonious, miserly, cheap
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
prolific, abundant, or profuse
-
generous; unstinting; liberal
-
extravagant; prodigal; wasteful
lavish expenditure
verb
Synonym Usage
Lavish, prodigal, profuse refer to that which exists in abundance and is poured out copiously. Lavish suggests (sometimes excessive) generosity and openhandedness: lavish hospitality; much too lavish. Prodigal suggests wastefulness, improvidence, and reckless impatience of restraint: a prodigal extravagance. Profuse emphasizes abundance, but may suggest overemotionalism, exaggeration, or the like: profuse thanks, compliments, apologies.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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lavishernoun
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lavishmentnoun
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lavishnessnoun
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overlavishnessnoun
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overlavishadjective
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unlavishadjective
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unlavishedadjective
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lavishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lavishsimple
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lavishessimple
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have lavishedperfect
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has lavishedperfect
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am lavishingprogressive
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are lavishingprogressive
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is lavishingprogressive
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have been lavishingperfect progressive
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has been lavishingperfect progressive
Past
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lavishedsimple
-
had lavishedperfect
-
was lavishingprogressive
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were lavishingprogressive
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had been lavishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lavish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English lavas “profusion” (noun), “profuse” (adjective), from Middle French lavasse, lavache “downpour of rain,” derivative of laver “to wash,” from Latin lavāre
Explanation
Lavish means "generous and extravagant" as an adjective and "to give generously" as a verb. If you don't like it when people lavish you with attention, you might appreciate a lavish spread of excellent food instead. Lavish comes from the Old French lavache meaning "deluge, torrent," referring to rain. When you see it, think of a shower of good things coming down on you as you never use lavish with something bad. Didn't your parents lavish you with praise and love when you were small? With lavish as an adjective, you can rephrase that question like this: Didn't your parents offer you lavish praise and love when you were little?
Vocabulary lists containing lavish
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Grade 9, List 6
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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 even if some historical nuance is lacking, the lavish works in “India’s Great Mughals” brilliantly capture the artistic and cultural sophistication that for centuries has ensured the Mughals’ enduring popularity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 11, 2026
The lavish ceremony last week was closely watched by Swift's fans, who have followed the 14-time Grammy winner's love life largely through songs based on her relationships.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
Reports of the Qualley-Antonoff split also come less than a week after Antonoff attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s lavish, but secretive, wedding bash in New York City sans Qualley.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
The money he raised was used to fund Guo's lavish lifestyle which included a 50,000 square foot mansion, a $1m Lamborghini and a $37m yacht, they said.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Other high school directors, many of them good friends, keep stopping him to lavish praise on the show.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
