ostentation

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

noun

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

   Synonyms: extravagance, pretense, pretension, affectation

2. Archaic. the act of showing or exhibiting; display.

ostentation

/ ˌɒstɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. pretentious, showy, or vulgar display

Other Words From

• nonos·ten·tation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostentation¹

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 -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

You eschew ostentation when times are good, and you pay your fair share of the cost when times are bad.

From The Daily Beast

He was a showman who indulged in ostentation and flamboyance.

From The Daily Beast

It can be shocking at first—the copious amounts of nudity, ostentation, “O” faces, all twisted, layered, sometimes even malformed.

From The Daily Beast

The lower class were idle and lazy, and willing to serve any sovereign who appealed to them by ostentation.

From Project Gutenberg

He displayed no ostentation in dress, or equipage, or manners, to provoke the desire in others to humble him.

From Project Gutenberg

The malecontents at the coffeehouses of London murmured at this profusion, and accused William of ostentation.

From Project Gutenberg

In all this, we repeat, there is neither refinement nor elegance, but simply vulgar ostentation.

From Project Gutenberg

She is aristocratic to the nth degree, and is never over done; courage she has, but no ostentation.

From Project Gutenberg

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.