ostentatious
characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others: an ostentatious dresser.
(of actions, manner, qualities exhibited, etc.) intended to attract notice: Lady Bountiful's ostentatious charity.
Origin of ostentatious
1synonym study For ostentatious
Other words from ostentatious
- os·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverb
- os·ten·ta·tious·ness, noun
- un·os·ten·ta·tious, adjective
- un·os·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverb
Words Nearby ostentatious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ostentatious in a sentence
Just north of the main building is an ostentatious spherical behemoth that houses the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and a second, smaller theater.
In Los Angeles, a new museum celebrates the art of moviemaking | Courtney Lichterman | October 28, 2021 | Washington PostA number of police officers have gone viral on right-wing media recently for their ostentatious rejections of departmental vaccine mandates.
How is DeSantis’s pro-anti-vaccination stance different than being anti-vaccine? | Philip Bump | October 25, 2021 | Washington PostHe owned a successful soccer club, showed up at high-level political meetings wearing ostentatious designer belts and took his private jet to Paris on a whim.
China’s Evergrande veers toward default — and a $300 billion global shock | Christian Shepherd | September 22, 2021 | Washington PostEverything that would bring me joy always felt impractical, or too ostentatious at a time when thousands were suffering and dying, or too much effort for what would ultimately be a fleeting experience.
I hereby apologize to Cecilia, who is a real person, and an actual puppeteer, and who does not obnoxiously observe her birthday in an ostentatious display of self-celebration the way most of the rest of you do.
Gene Weingarten: Oh, is it your birthday? I don’t care. | Gene Weingarten | April 8, 2021 | Washington Post
And most of the contemporization sounds like what it is—an ostentatious, slightly ill-fitting suit slipped onto a stiff.
Michael Jackson’s Posthumous Album, ‘Xscape,’ Is a Confused, Shameless Money Grab | Andrew Romano | May 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAn ostentatious display of Japanese military might could scuttle those negotiations.
Japan Prepares to Shoot North Korean Missiles Out of the Sky | Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein | April 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was beyond ridiculous, beyond ostentatious, but it was all going to end soon.
The extraordinary price for the ostentatious gown proves that fascination with Princes Diana remains as strong today as ever.
In the photo, the ostentatious monument is undercut (literally) by a temporary stall selling wares in its niche.
Charles Marville Captures the Rebirth of 1800s Paris in New Exhibition | William O’Connor | November 13, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd Jack come home from a long cruise, with prize-money in his pockets, was as ostentatious as any nouveau riche.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperKari averted his gaze because elephants are always irritated by the ostentatious bustle of a rhinoceros.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal MukerjiThen Griffith observed how delicate and prudent his lovely wife was, without ostentatious prudery; and his heart was at peace.
These dinners, formal as they were, are to be distinguished carefully from the extravagant banquets of the ostentatious rich.
The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone JohnstonYet there was nothing ostentatious, or which seemed inconsistent with the degree of an opulent burgher.
The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter Scott
British Dictionary definitions for ostentatious
/ (ˌɒstɛnˈteɪʃəs) /
characterized by pretentious, showy, or vulgar display
Derived forms of ostentatious
- ostentatiously, adverb
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
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