ostentation

[ os-ten-tey-shuhn, -tuhn- ]

/ ˌɒs tɛnˈteɪ ʃən, -tən- /

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See synonyms for ostentation on Thesaurus.com

noun

pretentious or conspicuous show, as of wealth or importance; display intended to impress others.

Archaic. the act of showing or exhibiting; display.

OTHER WORDS FOR ostentation

1 affectation, pretension, pretense, extravagance.

See synonyms for ostentation on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of ostentation

1425–75; late Middle English ostentacioun<Middle French ostentation<Latin ostentātiōn- (stem of ostentātiō), equivalent to ostentāt(us) past participle of ostentāre to display, exhibit, frequentative of ostendere to present, display (equivalent to os-, var of ob-ob- + ten(dere) to stretch + -t- frequentative suffix + -ātus-ate¹) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM ostentation

non·os·ten·ta·tion, noun

Words nearby ostentation

ostensibly, ostensive, ostensive definition, ostensorium, ostensory, ostentation, ostentatious, osteo-, osteoarthritis, osteoarthrosis, osteoblast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say ostentation?

Ostentation is the pretentious or conspicuous showing of one’s wealth or importance. How does ostentation compare to show, display, and pomp? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

How to use ostentation in a sentence

You eschew ostentation when times are good, and you pay your fair share of the cost when times are bad.
Now All Americans Are Losing Ground|David Frum|February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was a showman who indulged in ostentation and flamboyance.
Michelle Obama in Alexander McQueen: Lady in Red|Robin Givhan|January 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It can be shocking at first—the copious amounts of nudity, ostentation, “O” faces, all twisted, layered, sometimes even malformed.
Erotic Embroidery|Rachel Wolff|May 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The lower class were idle and lazy, and willing to serve any sovereign who appealed to them by ostentation.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

He displayed no ostentation in dress, or equipage, or manners, to provoke the desire in others to humble him.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
The malecontents at the coffeehouses of London murmured at this profusion, and accused William of ostentation.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
In all this, we repeat, there is neither refinement nor elegance, but simply vulgar ostentation.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
She is aristocratic to the nth degree, and is never over done; courage she has, but no ostentation.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for ostentation

ostentation

/ (ˌɒstɛnˈteɪʃən) /

noun

pretentious, showy, or vulgar display

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ostentation

OTHER WORDS FOR ostentation

Origin of ostentation

OTHER WORDS FROM ostentation

Words nearby ostentation

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say ostentation?

Words related to ostentation

How to use ostentation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ostentation