ostentatious

[os-ten-tey-shuh s, -tuh n-]

See more synonyms for ostentatious on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

First recorded in 1650–60; ostentat(ion) + -ious

Related formsos·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverbos·ten·ta·tious·ness, nounun·os·ten·ta·tious, adjectiveun·os·ten·ta·tious·ly, adverb

Synonyms for ostentatious

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1. See grandiose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ostentatiously

showily, egotistically, pompously, proudly, pretentiously

Examples from the Web for ostentatiously

Contemporary Examples of ostentatiously

The consul was a keen golfer, so Cunningham ostentatiously visited the clubhouse with his clubs and an overnight bag.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes
The Telegraph
November 17, 2013
Brotherhood cadres have been ostentatiously preparing "paramilitary" units, but they are really just street gangs.
Morsi-less: Are Egyptians Done with the Muslim Brothers?
Hussein Ibish
July 1, 2013

Historical Examples of ostentatiously

Then he ostentatiously returned the gun he was holding to its holster.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
We took revolvers, holding them ostentatiously in our pockets.
The Harmsworth Magazine, v. 1, 1898-1899, No. 2
Various
They were ostentatiously solemnizing the obsequies of the departed monarch.
Henry IV, Makers of History
John S. C. Abbott
She was not merely regardless of it, but ostentatiously disdainful.
Schwartz: A History
David Christie Murray
The girl was now shunned, ostentatiously, carefully shunned.
Little Novels of Italy
Maurice Henry Hewlett

British Dictionary definitions for ostentatiously

ostentatious

adjective

characterized by pretentious, showy, or vulgar display

Derived Formsostentatiously, 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

Word Origin and History for ostentatiously

ostentatious

adj.

1701, from ostentation + -ous. Earlier in a similar sense were ostentative (c.1600); ostentive (1590s). Related: Ostentatiously; ostentatiousness (1650s).