English Meaning & Definitions
Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.
- “He drove an ostentatious gold-plated sports car that drew stares from everyone on the street.”
- “The billionaire's ostentatious lifestyle included private jets, diamond-encrusted accessories, and massive parties.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “ostentatious”.
Derived from the Latin 'ostentare', a frequentative form of 'ostendere' meaning 'to stretch out to view' or 'to show'. It evolved through Middle French into English in the 17th century, originally carrying a sense of displaying something to attract attention, often with a connotation of vanity or pretension.
Think of a peacock 'stretching' its feathers to show off; it's 'os-TENT-atious' because it wants to be the center of attention like a tent in a field.
Frequently Asked Questions About “ostentatious”
1. What is the meaning of “ostentatious” in English?
In English, ostentatious (adjective) is defined as: “Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.”.
2. How do you use “ostentatious” in a sentence?
“He drove an ostentatious gold-plated sports car that drew stares from everyone on the street.”
3. What are English synonyms of “ostentatious”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “ostentatious”?
Derived from the Latin 'ostentare', a frequentative form of 'ostendere' meaning 'to stretch out to view' or 'to show'. It evolved through Middle French into English in the 17th century, originally carrying a sense of displaying something to attract attention, often with a connotation of vanity or pretension.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.