lavish
1 of 2adjective
lav·ish ˈla-vish 
1
: expending or bestowing profusely : prodigal
lavish donors
lavish in giving praise to her employees
2
a
: expended or produced in abundance
the lavish attentions of his mother
George Meredith
George Meredith b
: marked by profusion or excess
a lavish feast
a lavish home
lavishly adverb
lavishness noun
lavish
2 of 2verb
lavished; lavishing; lavishes
transitive verb
: to expend or bestow with profusion : squander
Synonyms
Adjective
- baroque
- devilish
- excessive
- exorbitant
- extravagant
- extreme
- fancy
- immoderate
- inordinate
- insane
- intolerable
- overdue
- overextravagant
- overmuch
- overweening
- plethoric
- steep
- stiff
- towering
- unconscionable
- undue
- unmerciful
Verb
- heap
- pour
- rain
- shower
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective a lavish display of flowers this lavish consumption of our natural resources simply cannot continue Verb doting parents lavishing lots of attention on their children a great actor who lavished his talent in lousy movies
Recent Examples on the Web Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Sep. 2022 Najib and his wife, who has faced criticism for her lavish lifestyle, are at the center of a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption mounted after his administration was voted out in a historic 2018 election. CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Schlesinger, who was on a $308,000 (€307,000) annual salary at RBB, is accused of using the German public broadcaster to bankroll a lavish lifestyle for herself and her ex-husband, the Spiegel journalist Gerhard Spörl. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2022 Since tying the knot in 2009, the pair has created a name for themselves on social media, consistently wooing their followers with their lavish lifestyle, including traveling the world to exotic locales such as Venice, St. Tropez, and Paris. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2022 The reopening of shows big and small—among them lavish musicals like Moulin Rouge! Time, 25 Sep. 2021 Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Fox News, 30 Aug. 2022 Giudice and Ruelas have been celebrating their new marital status on a lavish European tour, which began in Mykonos, Greece, following their wedding on August 6. Amethyst Tate, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022 The wedding was a lavish event, and Lopez released images of the occasion on her own terms, including photos of all three of her dresses, each designed by Ralph Lauren. Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2022 Arit John, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Gulf citizens had long been accustomed to lavish social perks from their governments, which have historically shielded them from financial pain. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 Given its small size, the staff has the bandwidth to lavish guests with personal attention but in an unobtrusive way. Shivani Vora, Robb Report, 18 July 2022 Bruce Pearl basked in one last opportunity Tuesday to lavish praise on All-Americans Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler in advance of Thursday’s NBA Draft. Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 21 June 2022 And so, as the year wears on, nearly every Republican candidate in the country will continue to lavish him with praise, visit him at Mar-a-Lago, and dutifully parrot his deranged talking points. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 4 May 2022 Sicilian palaces, for the most part, have gone from medieval fortresses to lavish Baroque showpieces, to offices, museums or ruins. J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 11 May 2022 Though her grandmother passed away years ago, the restaurant continues to lavish the Ngs with affection. Esmé Weijun Wang, Bon Appétit, 29 Mar. 2022 Hawaii now has so many prisoners that some of them are shipped to a private prison in Arizona; meanwhile, the islands are home to lavish estates of tech barons including Pierre Omidyar and Mark Zuckerberg. Siddhartha Deb, The New Republic, 28 Jan. 2022 See More
Adjective
Keel said Jenkins used June Eliason’s money to maintain a lavish lifestyle that included spending on travel, dining, entertainment, vehicles and clothing. Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Sep. 2022 Najib and his wife, who has faced criticism for her lavish lifestyle, are at the center of a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption mounted after his administration was voted out in a historic 2018 election. CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Schlesinger, who was on a $308,000 (€307,000) annual salary at RBB, is accused of using the German public broadcaster to bankroll a lavish lifestyle for herself and her ex-husband, the Spiegel journalist Gerhard Spörl. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2022 Since tying the knot in 2009, the pair has created a name for themselves on social media, consistently wooing their followers with their lavish lifestyle, including traveling the world to exotic locales such as Venice, St. Tropez, and Paris. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2022 The reopening of shows big and small—among them lavish musicals like Moulin Rouge! Time, 25 Sep. 2021 Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Fox News, 30 Aug. 2022 Giudice and Ruelas have been celebrating their new marital status on a lavish European tour, which began in Mykonos, Greece, following their wedding on August 6. Amethyst Tate, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022 The wedding was a lavish event, and Lopez released images of the occasion on her own terms, including photos of all three of her dresses, each designed by Ralph Lauren. Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2022 Verb
Hundreds of Donald Trump’s administration officials, White House aides and supporters in Congress gathered in a downtown D.C. hotel last month to lavish praise on the former president at a policy summit put on by a think tank promoting his agenda. Arit John, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Gulf citizens had long been accustomed to lavish social perks from their governments, which have historically shielded them from financial pain. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 Given its small size, the staff has the bandwidth to lavish guests with personal attention but in an unobtrusive way. Shivani Vora, Robb Report, 18 July 2022 Bruce Pearl basked in one last opportunity Tuesday to lavish praise on All-Americans Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler in advance of Thursday’s NBA Draft. Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 21 June 2022 And so, as the year wears on, nearly every Republican candidate in the country will continue to lavish him with praise, visit him at Mar-a-Lago, and dutifully parrot his deranged talking points. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 4 May 2022 Sicilian palaces, for the most part, have gone from medieval fortresses to lavish Baroque showpieces, to offices, museums or ruins. J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 11 May 2022 Though her grandmother passed away years ago, the restaurant continues to lavish the Ngs with affection. Esmé Weijun Wang, Bon Appétit, 29 Mar. 2022 Hawaii now has so many prisoners that some of them are shipped to a private prison in Arizona; meanwhile, the islands are home to lavish estates of tech barons including Pierre Omidyar and Mark Zuckerberg. Siddhartha Deb, The New Republic, 28 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Verb
Middle English laves, lavage, probably from Middle French lavasse, lavache downpour of rain, from laver to wash — more at lavage
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1542, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing lavish
Kids Definition
lavish 1 of 2
adjective
lav·ish ˈla-vish
1
: giving or involving a large amount : extravagant
The lobby contained a lavish display of flowers.
2
: spent, produced, or given in large amounts
She received lavish praise.
lavish
2 of 2verb
lavished; lavishing
: to spend, use, or give in large amounts
They lavished attention on the children.
lavish 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount this lavish consumption of our natural resources simply cannot continue Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- excessive
- extravagant
- extreme
- steep
- insane
- endless
- infinite
- fancy
- exorbitant
- baroque
- inordinate
- undue
- plethoric
- immoderate
- towering
- intolerable
- unconscionable
- overmuch
- overdue
- devilish
- overextravagant
- inappropriate
- unmerciful
- unbearable
- overweening
- stiff
- improper
- over the top
- limitless
- a bit much
- boundless
- immeasurable
- unjustifiable
- unwarranted
- unseemly
- thick
- unrestrained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- modest
- reasonable
- inadequate
- moderate
- insufficient
- minimal
- temperate
- middling
- deficient
- minimum
2
as in abundant
pouring forth in great amounts the lavish praise that the novel was receiving had some wondering if it could ever live up to readers' expectations Synonyms & Similar Words
- abundant
- copious
- plentiful
- profuse
- excessive
- ample
- bountiful
- riotous
- extravagant
- gushing
- liberal
- complete
- galore
- enough
- sufficient
- luxuriant
- bounteous
- adequate
- abounding
- fertile
- plenteous
- munificent
- fecund
- free
- redundant
- immoderate
- unstinting
- openhanded
- unsparing
- fat
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- meager
- poor
- sparse
- scanty
- inadequate
- scant
- spare
- insufficient
- meagre
- scarce
- lacking
- stingy
- minimal
- incomplete
- trickling
- unsatisfactory
- wanting
- deficient
- mere
- dribbling
- niggardly
- bare
3
as in luxurious
showing obvious signs of wealth and comfort the lavish apartment even boasted a marble bathroom with gold-plated fixtures Synonyms & Similar Words
- luxurious
- luxury
- deluxe
- luxuriant
- sumptuous
- opulent
- extravagant
- palatial
- beautiful
- luxe
- palace
- plush
- expensive
- silken
- rich
- gorgeous
- comfortable
- plushy
- impressive
- magnificent
- premium
- costly
- showy
- grandiose
- ostentatious
- Lucullian
- regal
- grand
- precious
- royal
- Lucullan
- Babylonian
- imposing
- splendid
- awesome
- majestic
- dear
- pretentious
- baronial
- monumental
- august
- cozy
- kingly
- heroic
- heroical
- homey
- stately
- awful
- proud
- noble
- homelike
- snug
- homy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- humble
- austere
- spartan
- ascetic
- meager
- economical
- meagre
- no-frills
- ascetical
- stingy
- frugal
- spare
- thrifty
lavish
2 of 2verb
1
as in to heap
to give readily and in large quantities doting parents lavishing lots of attention on their children Synonyms & Similar Words
- heap
- shower
- pour
- rain
- flood
- gush
- overflow
- stream
- inundate
- overwhelm
- swamp
- hail
- bombard
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- withhold
- retain
- keep
- reserve
- hold back
2
as in to spend
to use up carelessly a great actor who lavished his talent in lousy movies Synonyms & Similar Words
- spend
- waste
- misspend
- squander
- lose
- splurge
- throw away
- run through
- blow
- indulge
- dissipate
- fiddle away
- trifle (away)
- play ducks and drakes with
- make ducks and drakes of
- fritter (away)
- consume
- overindulge
- disburse
- deplete
- overspend
- impoverish
- exhaust
- expend
- lay out
- shoot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- conserve
- protect
- skimp
- preserve
- economize
- save
- hoard
- scrimp
- lay up
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of lavish are exuberant, lush, luxuriant, prodigal, and profuse. While all these words mean "giving or given out in great abundance," lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.
a lavish party
The words exuberant and lavish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.
an exuberant imagination
In some situations, the words lush and lavish are roughly equivalent. However, lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.
a lush green lawn
Although the words luxuriant and lavish have much in common, luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.
a luxuriant beard
The synonyms prodigal and lavish are sometimes interchangeable, but prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.
prodigal spending
The meanings of profuse and lavish largely overlap; however, profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.
profuse apologies