sumptuary
adjective
sump·tu·ary ˈsəm(p)-chə-ˌwer-ē 
1
: relating to personal expenditures and especially to prevent extravagance and luxury
conservative sumptuary tastes
John Cheever
John Cheever2
: designed to regulate extravagant expenditures or habits especially on moral or religious grounds
sumptuary laws
sumptuary tax
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web English parliaments had a habit of passing sumptuary laws on luxury clothing under one monarch and repealing them under another, Blackstone went on to explain. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 8 July 2022 But, even when issued repeatedly, with more and more admonitory language, the sumptuary laws were routinely violated, year after year. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 July 2022 Strict sumptuary laws dictated what colors and styles of clothing people of different classes could wear. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2021 Despite their rising status in the merchant class of Bruges, the Arnolfinis simply could not possess certain luxuries due to sumptuary laws, codifying details as small as squirrel bellies. Dan Neil, WSJ, 8 July 2021 Discourse surrounding poulaines reached such heights that in 1463, England’s Edward IV passed sumptuary laws in London that limited toe length to a mere two inches, per Atlas Obscura. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2021 Absorb the history of sumptuary law from a STANFORD PROFESSOR whose book contains a section titled Decorative Orthodontic Devices (a.k.a. Grillz)? Molly Young, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2021 After sumptuary laws finally succeeded in suppressing consumer spending, that trend reversed. Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, 19 Jan. 2020 The rise of modern capitalism ultimately made sumptuary laws obsolete. Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019 See More
Matt Ford, The New Republic, 8 July 2022 But, even when issued repeatedly, with more and more admonitory language, the sumptuary laws were routinely violated, year after year. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 July 2022 Strict sumptuary laws dictated what colors and styles of clothing people of different classes could wear. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2021 Despite their rising status in the merchant class of Bruges, the Arnolfinis simply could not possess certain luxuries due to sumptuary laws, codifying details as small as squirrel bellies. Dan Neil, WSJ, 8 July 2021 Discourse surrounding poulaines reached such heights that in 1463, England’s Edward IV passed sumptuary laws in London that limited toe length to a mere two inches, per Atlas Obscura. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 June 2021 Absorb the history of sumptuary law from a STANFORD PROFESSOR whose book contains a section titled Decorative Orthodontic Devices (a.k.a. Grillz)? Molly Young, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2021 After sumptuary laws finally succeeded in suppressing consumer spending, that trend reversed. Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, 19 Jan. 2020 The rise of modern capitalism ultimately made sumptuary laws obsolete. Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin sumptuarius, from sumptus expense, from sumere to take, spend — more at consume
First Known Use
1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1