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Synonym Chooser

How is the word extravagant different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of extravagant are excessive, exorbitant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When is excessive a more appropriate choice than extravagant?

While the synonyms excessive and extravagant are close in meaning, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When would exorbitant be a good substitute for extravagant?

The synonyms exorbitant and extravagant are sometimes interchangeable, but exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

In what contexts can extreme take the place of extravagant?

While in some cases nearly identical to extravagant, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

Where would immoderate be a reasonable alternative to extravagant?

In some situations, the words immoderate and extravagant are roughly equivalent. However, immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When is it sensible to use inordinate instead of extravagant?

The meanings of inordinate and extravagant largely overlap; however, inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extravagant Paired with extravagant entertainment, including falcon and hawk shows, rides on camels decorated with luxurious Arabian bridles and saddles, and performances by fire breathers, acrobatic acts and stunning belly dancers. Katharina Kotrba, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024 In December 2019, the Angolan Embassy hosted an extravagant event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art to commemorate the 1619 anniversary. Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024 Families who had given their sons and their future to the regime survived on bread and tea while Assad’s inner circle and other high officials flaunted their wealth on Instagram—luxury cars, seaside mansions, extravagant weddings. Loubna Mrie, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024 Now, dozens toured the garden and extravagant interior with their families, filming the scenes on their phones or video-calling their relatives abroad. Justin Salhani, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for extravagant 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extravagant
Adjective
  • Rubin’s reporting for the San Francisco Chronicle, NPR and Capital & Main has led to state laws protecting workers from lead poisoning and has exposed wasteful spending.
    Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Draws at home to Southampton in November (1-1) and at Leicester in December (2-2) were wasteful, especially in the latter case when a 2-0 lead was relinquished late on.
    Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But aggressive fire suppression and inattention to urban overgrowth have left excessive, easy-to-ignite vegetation in many areas.
    Justin Angle, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Forgiveness for students who saw excessive loan interest after 10 or 20 years would likely no longer be an option.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Massachusetts is the most expensive state in terms of basic costs for a family of four, according to a 2024 SmartAsset study.
    Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025
  • This season has been particularly rocky for head coach Ruben Amorim’s men, and Antony has been a bit-part player—adding to his status as among the most expensive disappointments in the division’s history.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Be realistic The most uncomfortable truth of the last few days has been how quickly firefighting efforts were overwhelmed and outmatched by the extreme fire conditions, Cohen said.
    Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025
  • In other words, the atmosphere gets more thirsty as the climate warms, drawing more moisture from plants, and leading to more days with extreme fire weather conditions.
    Andrew Freedman, Axios, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Later, high atop a telephone pole, Alyssa retrieves a valuable pair of dangling Jordans off a live electrical wire, to mixed results.
    Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Her work is both a bold act of advocacy and a call to action, addressing the systemic disparities in whose stories get told and whose lives are deemed valuable.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Your voice is insane.
    Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com, al, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The Republican and right-wing reaction is just insane.
    Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
Adjective
  • The Palisades and Eaton fires have burned more than 12,000 structures and are expected to be the most costly fires in American history, with estimates ranging from $50 billion to $150 billion.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
  • With thousands of structures damaged or destroyed, experts say the toll could reach more than $150 billion, making these fires among the costliest natural disasters in American history.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Capital Public Radio has sued its former general manager, accusing him of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the station to fund a lofty lifestyle filled with lavish overseas trips, renovate his home residence, pay his children’s university tuition and more.
    Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Through the 18th and into the 19th centuries, the Classical Revival house style represented a turn to simplicity after the lavish ornamentation of previous periods like French Rococo, and that clean austerity still has appeal today.
    Lauren Gallow, Architectural Digest, 10 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near extravagant

Cite this Entry

“Extravagant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extravagant. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on extravagant

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