posh
1 Americanadjective
interjection
adjective
-
smart, elegant, or fashionable; exclusive
posh clothes
-
upper-class or genteel
adverb
Usage
What else does posh mean? The adjective posh means that something or someone is rich, fancy, or otherwise smells of money.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of posh1
1915–20; of obscure origin; compare posh a dandy (recorded as British slang in 1890); the popular notion that the word is an acronym from port out(ward) , starboard home, said to be the preferred accommodation on ships traveling between England and India, is without foundation
Origin of posh2
First recorded in 1920–25
Explanation
Things that are posh are swanky, fancy, and high-class. Posh things usually cost a lot of money, too. If something is dirty, cheap, and shoddy, it will never be accused of being posh. Posh things are elegant and expensive. A posh apartment is gorgeous and classy. A posh restaurant has fancy food and you probably have to dress up to go there. Posh places are luxurious and fancy-schmancy. So it's no surprise that rich people tend to like things and places that are posh.
Vocabulary lists containing posh
The War That Saved My Life
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Other Words for Home
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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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.
During debates, the former Fox News host has relied on his dry wit and posh tone to make his answers sound stronger than they are.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Still, Trainor did not manage to secure that full ask, with records indicating that the sale of the posh pad closed for $6.83 million on April 15.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
“Balthy,” as he calls himself, attends a posh private high school but has no friends.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
"You get their posh voice, their telephone voice, they're quite grown up."
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026
One woman in posh Palos Verdes demands that she scrub her living room and kitchen floors on her knees instead of with a mop.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
