ostentatious
ah-sten-TAY-shus · adjective
Showy and designed to attract attention or impress others.
Memory connection
Picture “oh, stun—they show us”
A rhinestone suit flashes like a lighthouse while its owner cries, ‘Oh, stun them—show us!’ and waits for applause.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
Use it accurately
Meaning in context
The office was decorated with an ostentatious display of marble and gold.
She preferred quiet craftsmanship to ostentatious branding.
Ostentatious is usually critical: the display seems calculated to advertise wealth, status, or importance rather than serve a practical purpose.
Common patterns
- ostentatious display
- ostentatious wealth
- deliberately ostentatious
Quick check
Can you retrieve the meaning?
Which entrance is most ostentatious?
Choose an answer, then explain it in your own words.