lavish
Americanadjective
-
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)
-
lavishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lavished,
past participle, past
-
lavishing
present participle
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
-
lavishmentnoun
-
lavishnessnoun
-
overlavishnessnoun
-
overlavishadjective
-
unlavishadjective
-
unlavishedadjective
-
lavishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lavishsimple
-
lavishessimple
-
have lavishedperfect
-
has lavishedperfect
-
am lavishingprogressive
-
are lavishingprogressive
-
is lavishingprogressive
-
have been lavishingperfect progressive
-
has been lavishingperfect progressive
Past
-
lavishedsimple
-
had lavishedperfect
-
was lavishingprogressive
-
were lavishingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
The draw for this summer's World Cup was a long, lavish and outlandish affair.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The action tears through the estate’s lavish rooms, turning paintings, candelabras and fabric into improvised weapons before ending with a splash in the pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The lavish estate features a resort-style swimming pool, private dock, guesthouse, basketball court, spa, expansive outdoor entertaining areas, and panoramic views of the Miami skyline.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Sonically improved to levels never before achievable, and accompanied by a lavish and detailed 100-page book, the 5-CD, 118-track boxed set encompasses all of her released sides and a good many outtakes and test pressings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Lanning was coming, his gray eyebrows as lavish as ever, his aged figure unbent as yet and full of life.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
The compassionate attention she lavishes on her gentle, troubled protagonist opens up an entire world, if you’re willing to take in what’s been hiding in plain sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
He lavishes attention on the more culturally salient story of Riefenstahl but muddles its significance in a playful, morally uncommitted approach that perhaps might be more satisfying with supplemental biographical material.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2024
On his debut album, Jonathan Tetelman lavishes his sumptuous tenor and almost poetic attention on classic Romantic and verismo arias.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
A daughter serves as mistress of ceremonies in the dining room, and his wife lavishes attention on the salads and sweets, including a divine cheesecake whose crust fuses dates and ground pistachios.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 25, 2022
He lavishes attention on the great storm-colored beast and her tiny rider from the moment we meet in the morning until the moment they disappear for the parade.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
King Charles said he was impressed by the design of Europe's first eco mosque and has praised "all the care and attention which has been lavished on it".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some cabinet members, like Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, lavished the president with adulation in their comments.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
He had no patience for what he didn’t like, but when he was in the presence of something he adored, he lavished his attention and could rise to his own level of greatness.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Kim, absorbing North Korea’s first major combat losses in many decades, has lavished surviving families with banquets, gold medals and new Pyongyang apartments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
Joe lavished every care on his love, and he perfected a lonely set of rules which might have gone like this: 1.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Wall Street hasn’t exactly been lavishing the stock with praise lately.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
Companies were growing and bosses were lavishing ever-higher pay and perks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
For much of his second term, Trump has seemed to bestride the globe, lavishing his attention on a wide range of international issues.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
But that zeal for lavishing cash did not carry over to the school’s athletic department, which ranked fourth from the bottom of the conference with just $16 million in donations over the same period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
And behold! the lavishing on some private interest or individual of a great National or State property or municipal right or franchise!
From Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress
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.
