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César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz’s hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and the phrase “to put on the ritz” means “to indulge in ostentatious display.” The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1919.
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Examples of ritzy in a Sentence
Todd Boss, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Once the ritziest property on the Strip, the Tropicana spent its final decades serving more budget-friendly guests.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024
The after-work drink rush has shifted in the Financial District, too, where the ritzy Bar Room at the Beekman Hotel is packed by 4:30 p.m.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
There’s a simple sophistication about Kelly Rutherford that pairs perfectly with the glamorously ritzy lifestyle in Monaco.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near ritzy
Cite this Entry
“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
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