Sybarite
noun
a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.
Sybarite
American
[sib-uh-rahyt]
/ ˈsɪb əˌraɪt /
noun
-
(usually lowercase) a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.
- Synonyms:
- sensualist
-
an inhabitant of Sybaris.
sybarite
1
British
/ ˈsɪbəˌraɪt, ˌsɪbəˈrɪtɪk /
noun
adjective
sybarite
2
British
/ ˈsɪbəˌraɪt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Sybarite
1590–1600; < Latin Sybarīta < Greek Sybarī́tēs. See Sybaris, -ite 1
Explanation
If you know someone who's totally addicted to luxurious things and all of life's pleasures, call her a sybarite. Unless she's inviting you over for champagne brunches and showering you with gifts — in which case you should keep your mouth shut. Sybarite was first recorded in the 1600s, meaning a “person devoted to pleasure.” The literal translation of this noun is “inhabitant of Sybaris,” which was an ancient Greek town full of citizens who loved nice things. Today, the word still has the same two meanings: it's either a person who could be described as addicted to pleasures and luxury (like a hedonist), or an actual person who lives in Sybaris.
Vocabulary lists containing sybarite
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Enjoy! Synonyms for "Pleasure"
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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.
See Examples For:
The Maranello flagship, for example, was overhauled by London’s Sybarite studio and given an undulating facade of red glass and white brick walls.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2021
At his recent pre-Festival media day, he said: "At the moment, if you're going to break my arm as to what would be my next possible Imperial Commander, it would be Sybarite."
From The Guardian ● Mar. 11, 2011
There is also Sybarite, described yesterday as "my next possible Imperial Commander" in the Albert Bartlett.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2011
Armed with pipes, an invading army from nearby Crotonia assailed the Sybarite cavalry with music, then plunged through the dancing horses to victory.
From Time Magazine Archive
Prompted by his vile passions again, the Royal Sybarite seemed inclined to act upon the diabolical counsel.
From No Quarter! by Reid, Mayne
It’s difficult to imagine a worse addition to this oil-and-water mix of high-minded nonconformist cranks and hard-toiling middle-class settlers than a capitalist sybarite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2025
Vidal presented himself to the world as a witty sybarite, fearless social critic and hardworking professional writer, and that’s how he wished to be remembered, not as a falling-down drunk and sentimental depressive.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2015
At once confessional and curatorial, the book portrays Oswalt as not just a celluloid sybarite, but someone dead serious about the art.
From Slate ● Jan. 5, 2015
Thus began a dual career as political agitator and upper-crust sybarite.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2011
He was not used to travelling on omnibuses, being something of a sybarite who spared nothing to ensure his own comfort.
From The Daffodil Mystery by Wallace, Edgar
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.
