1
as in loud
excessively showy
wears an ostentatious diamond ring on his little finger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
an ostentatious man who desperately wants to impress people with his newly acquired wealth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 ostentatious
Cyrus’s early solo-music career was marked by chaos in both persona and output (remember Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz?); her style oscillated with an ostentatious lack of taste, and her music varied wildly between genres.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
The question is whether the Oscars can simultaneously indulge in its usual ostentatious glitz.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
Delle Deane’s empty seat still bore the signs of her: an overflowing Birkin bag—messy as Lindy kept her own handbag, though of course Adria would never dream of buying her daughter such an ostentatious thing.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Fiona Crombie’s production design gives the movie an imposing scale (with a Mar-a-Lago vulgarity in the ostentatious décor of the Marshalls’ quarters), though for a project shot by Darius Khondji and screened in IMAX, the visuals are nothing special.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
The question is whether the Oscars can simultaneously indulge in its usual ostentatious glitz.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
Delle Deane’s empty seat still bore the signs of her: an overflowing Birkin bag—messy as Lindy kept her own handbag, though of course Adria would never dream of buying her daughter such an ostentatious thing.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Fiona Crombie’s production design gives the movie an imposing scale (with a Mar-a-Lago vulgarity in the ostentatious décor of the Marshalls’ quarters), though for a project shot by Darius Khondji and screened in IMAX, the visuals are nothing special.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostentatious
Adjective
-
Building strong relationships—without being the loudest in the room Introverts are rarely the most talkative people in meetings or social settings.—
Lorraine K. Lee, Contributor,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2025
-
There has been a loud flirtation with Aaron Rodgers that Adofo-Mensah has danced around quite a bit.—
Steve Silverman,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In a world where deal flow is crucial, being labeled as an arrogant VC results in missing out on prime opportunities.—
David Nour,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The arrogant anti-union stance did not start with the current CEO; even the legendary Studs Terkel was slapped down by WFMT management for his earlier support of an effort to unionize in 1990.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Like any good house party, as many high schoolers can attest, the scene was a little chaotic, noisy and free flowing, in more ways than one.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Young planets orbit young stars, and young stars tend to be very noisy, which makes extracting the signals of their young planets all the more difficult.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
See the grandiose steps, ornate lampposts, art deco doors, unchanged from the days when a commissionaire was on guard to welcome the players into the Marble Halls.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Interestingly, men in relationships with women high in grandiose narcissism reported lower satisfaction, as these women heightened their partners’ pressure to appear perfect.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Princess Diana and then Prince Charles tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony on July 29, 1981.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Abbott Elementary is experiencing quite the shake up after Ava (Janelle James) was fired last week when the district uncovered that the school had been extorting the nearby golf course for extravagant resources.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s a certain traditional stereotype of actors as people who are arrogant or self-confident, the sort of people who are overly serious, aloof, or pretentious.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Accusing it of being pretentious, an ego trip, and lacking depth.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
While wearing gaudy lime green T-shirts, neon ties sprouting shamrocks with Gaelic sayings, or singing catchy, sentimental tunes, many people also enjoy an Americanized version of the Celtic culture for a day, whether Irish or not.—
Maureen Murphy,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Instead of orange-leaning oak cabinets with gaudy gold hardware, opt for wood materials such as white oak or pine, clean-lines, and sleek hardware.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Basden could have slicked up his acting with a lot of pompous pop star clichés.—
Peter Rainer,
The Christian Science Monitor,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Still, this adaptation of an O. Henry story tilts all its sympathies toward the outlaw hero the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter, in a Best Actor–winning role) and away from the pompous white soldier charged with tracking him down.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostentatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostentatious. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share