luxurious
Americanadjective
-
characterized by luxury; ministering or conducive to luxury.
a luxurious hotel.
- Antonyms:
- squalid
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given to or loving luxury; wanting or requiring what is choice, expensive, or the like.
a person with luxurious tastes.
- Synonyms:
- epicurean
-
given to pleasure, especially of the senses; voluptuous.
- Synonyms:
- self-indulgent, sensual
-
present or occurring in great abundance, rich profusion, etc.; opulent.
a luxurious harvest; music of luxurious beauty.
-
excessively ornate; overelaborate.
luxurious prose.
adjective
-
characterized by luxury
-
enjoying or devoted to luxury
-
an archaic word for lecherous
Usage
Luxurious is sometimes wrongly used where luxuriant is meant: he had a luxuriant (not luxurious ) moustache; the walls were covered with a luxuriant growth of wisteria
Other Word Forms
-
luxuriousnessnoun
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overluxuriousnessnoun
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preluxuriousnessnoun
-
superluxuriousnessnoun
-
overluxuriousadjective
-
preluxuriousadjective
-
quasi-luxuriousadjective
-
superluxuriousadjective
-
unluxuriousadjective
-
luxuriouslyadverb
-
overluxuriouslyadverb
-
preluxuriouslyadverb
-
quasi-luxuriouslyadverb
-
superluxuriouslyadverb
-
unluxuriouslyadverb
Etymology
Origin of luxurious
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word luxuriōsus. See luxury, -ous
Explanation
The adjective luxurious describes something that is of very high quality or expensive taste, like your luxurious living room filled with the softest rugs and gorgeous furniture hand-crafted in Italy. In the 14th century, luxurious didn't mean what it does today; it meant "lascivious, lecherous, unchaste." What happened? The invention of bling for one thing, and the rise of a culture that celebrates material pleasures. Today, luxurious translates as exclusive, comfortable, expensive and superior in quality, like a luxurious home featured in a magazine about rich people and their favorite things.
Vocabulary lists containing luxurious
Tuck Everlasting
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This Week in Pop Culture: March 2 - 8, 2019
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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.
The interior will be more utilitarian than luxurious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
But Max’s door is open to them, and inside they find him preparing a luxurious meal.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
"There was absolutely no waste, and I mean, there was nothing luxurious at this stage. It was all about survival."
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Hilton said he did a lot of his production work outside, as there are a variety of luxurious backdrops ideal for his commentary.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
And romantic stories: how Potter Palmer had been so in love with his wife, Bertha, that he had given her a luxurious hotel, the Palmer House, as a wedding present.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
