1
Core quality
Showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
Example
The palace's ostentatious decoration advertised the ruler's wealth.
ostentatious
/ˌɒstenˈteɪʃəs/ · os-ten-TAY-shusadjective
Showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
Use ostentatious to express this relationship precisely: showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
What ostentatious Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
She preferred quiet elegance to ostentatious display.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
An ostentatious entrance contrasted with the modest interior.
Use ostentatious Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The palace's ostentatious decoration advertised the ruler's wealth.
She preferred quiet elegance to ostentatious display.
An ostentatious entrance contrasted with the modest interior.
Precision Matters
Ostentatious overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
ostentatious
vs.Means showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
opulent
Means rich, luxurious, and often elaborately decorated.
ostentatious
vs.Means showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
conspicuous
Means easily noticed or attracting attention.
ostentatious
vs.Means showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
imposing
Means very large and impressive in appearance.
ostentatious
vs.Means showy, elaborate, or conspicuously designed to attract attention and impress others.
austere
Means severe or strict in manner; lacking luxury.
Test ostentatious in Context
Its showy design seeks attention and admiration.
1
Covered in gold and built mainly to impress visitors, the lobby was deliberately ___.