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Synonym Chooser

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

The words pretentious and showy are common synonyms of ostentatious. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

When is it sensible to use pretentious instead of ostentatious?

The synonyms pretentious and ostentatious are sometimes interchangeable, but pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

When could showy be used to replace ostentatious?

The words showy and ostentatious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

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 Milley publicly apologized for letting himself be pulled into Trump’s 2020 ostentatious walk across Lafayette Square, which had been forcibly cleared of peaceful protesters. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025 Some developers replaced country homes with ostentatious mansions that look out of place. Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025 Back in the 1970s, recalls a writer who grew up there, Malibu was a more relaxed and less ostentatious place. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025 He’s easily overshadowed by Ottoman warlord Dominic Monaghan, who sports eyeliner as ostentatious as his attempt at a Turkish accent. Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ostentatious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostentatious
Adjective
  • In the new court filing, phone records show Mortensen tried calling the other four roommates – but got no response – around the time when security camera from a residence close to the home picked up at 4:17 a.m. distorted audio of voices, a whimper, followed by a loud thud, and a barking dog.
    Lauren del Valle, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
  • At a festival where the moviegoers at Austin’s Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue scream as loud as those at a Harry Styles concert, look for the Motion Picture Association to create waves.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The actor has one daughter with ex-wife Melanie Griffith and has been dating his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel since 2014. 05 of 09 John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad The actor behind the arrogant Lord Farquaad boasts an impressive career that began decades before Shrek came out in 2001.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Many members of its board appeared arrogant in the face of questions from the prosecutor or one of the lawyers.
    Laia Cervelló Herrero, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Uniformity In Spectral Reflectance: Satellites that acquire images at the same hour and angle are inherently less noisy and therefore the computer vision models’ accuracies improve.
    Elizabeth Duffy, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Gas weed eaters have more power than electric or battery-powered weed eaters but are also much noisier.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Such a grandiose vision requires numerous trips between Earth and other worlds, driving the desire for reusability.
    Eric Mack, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
  • No wonder the new manager wants such a grandiose pay package.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • While Gaudí’s extravagant creations, in particular, are perhaps too spectacular to miss, there is much beauty and history elsewhere in this millennia-old city.
    Coke Bartrina, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The sequel takes audiences from the idyllic suburbs of Connecticut to the glamorous backdrop of the Italian Riviera, where an extravagant wedding unravels into a murder mystery.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In the cool interiors of this chic Parisian address though, savouring an aged Armagnac after lunch or dinner is not a pretentious throwback, but a gastronomic pleasure.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The restaurant is slightly more elevated than your classic casual spot but is far from pretentious.
    Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Andy Enfield’s team needs a gaudy record to offset its lack of Q1 triumphs.
    Jim Root, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Did the Bears even have a defensive team meeting this week? Sure enough, Purdy went 2-for-5 against those man-to-man snaps, albeit for a gaudy 71 yards.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • 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
  • And every scene and song featuring the hilarious Eric Anderson as the pompous and preening Union Gen. George B. McClellan is a comic gem.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ostentatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostentatious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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