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.
Cindy may be the opposite of a sybarite, but she knows something about how human beings morph over time.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
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
She would be accused of being a sybarite if it weren’t for the conceptual rigor she applies to her aesthetics.”
From New York Times • May 31, 2013
No sybarite could have complained of the comfort of the chairs or the arrangement of the light.
From Christopher Hibbault, Roadmaker by Bryant, Marguerite
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.
