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• Sybarite
  Sybarite

  noun

  a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.
• sybarite
  sybarite

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of the ancient Greek colony of Sybaris

Sybarite

American  

[sib-uh-rahyt] / ˈsɪb əˌraɪt /

noun

1. (usually lowercase) a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.

   Synonyms:

   sensualist

2. an inhabitant of Sybaris.

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sybarite ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪbəˌraɪt /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the ancient Greek colony of Sybaris

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sybarite ² British  

/ ˈsɪbəˌraɪt /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a devotee of luxury and the sensual vices

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adjective

1. luxurious; sensuous

Other Word Forms

• sybaritism
  noun
• sybaritic
  adjective
• sybaritically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of Sybarite

1590–1600; < Latin Sybarīta < Greek Sybarī́tēs. See Sybaris, -ite ¹

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sybarite sybarite

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

Brennan, who had made his disappointment clear after partnering the horse in a less-impressive workout at Warwick 12 days earlier, declared himself far more satisfied after a spin around the circuit with stablemate Sybarite.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 26, 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

The two confined rooms in which Egbert lodged at a peasant's house, were meanly furnished, but the young engineer was not a Sybarite.

From 'Clear the Track' A Story of To-day by Elisabeth Buerstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)

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

All too often Ive comes off less as a visionary than a sybarite.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2022

But his admirers should know he remained a sybarite even in his waning days.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 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

He was something of a sybarite and the letters might blunt his enjoyment of the well-served meal.

From Brandon of the Engineers by Harold Bindloss

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