Vocabulary
Ostentatious: meaning, tone, and examples
You mean to praise a watch, but ostentatious usually sounds critical. It suggests showing off.
Look for the display and the speaker's judgment of it. A high price alone does not settle the choice.
Can you use "ostentatious" yourself?
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
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ostentatious os-ten-TAY-shus
The short answer
Ostentatious means showy in a way that tries to attract notice or admiration. It usually suggests excessive display, often of wealth or status, but actions and knowledge can be ostentatious too.
She dislikes ostentatious jewelry with huge gold logos.
Why it works: The speaker sees the jewelry as showing off.
3 more examples
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Describing a building
The hotel has an ostentatious entrance.
The speaker judges the entrance as overly showy.
Not this:The hotel has a
luxuriousentrance. What changes: Luxurious emphasizes richness or comfort. -
Drawing attention to boredom
He gave an ostentatious yawn.
An action can be showy without costing money.
Not this:He gave an
ostentatiouslyyawn. What changes: The noun yawn needs an adjective here. -
Showing off during a discussion
Her ostentatious display of knowledge annoyed the group.
Knowledge can be displayed as well as wealth.
Not this:Her
pretentiousdisplay of knowledge annoyed the group. What changes: Pretentious questions the claimed importance or depth.
Quick check
Your coworker bought a bright gold car and parked it across two spaces so everyone would look. How does the word ostentatious describe this purchase?
Answer: It criticises the car as an annoying, showy display meant to grab attention.
Show the answer
Answer: It criticises the car as an annoying, showy display meant to grab attention.
In this scene, ostentatious criticizes an obvious attempt to attract attention.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exerciseA display can be expensive or free. The useful question is what the speaker thinks it is trying to do.
Hear the judgment
The problem: I use ostentatious as a simple compliment for something expensive.
Ostentatious usually expresses disapproval of showing off. You might use it for a grand house or a public gesture. An expensive object is not automatically ostentatious: the word suggests a display meant to impress.
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The donor made an ostentatious show of handing over the check.
Why it works: The speaker questions the public display, not the act of donating.
Your turn
A guest calls a huge jeweled hat ostentatious. What judgment is most likely?
Answer: The hat seems designed to show off.
Show the answer
Answer: The hat seems designed to show off.
The word usually criticizes an obvious display. It does not tell us an exact price.
Find the strong TAY
The problem: I lose the middle of this long word when I say it.
Say os-ten-TAY-shus. There are four syllables (spoken parts), with the strongest beat on TAY. The last part begins with sh, like shoe. Its vowel is light, so avoid saying a full shoe sound.
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That ostentatious doorway is hard to miss.
Why it works: Keep the stronger TAY as you say the whole sentence.
Your turn
Which part has the strongest beat in os-ten-TAY-shus?
Answer: TAY
Show the answer
Answer: TAY
TAY is the third spoken part and has the strongest beat.
Change the form for the sentence
The problem: I put ostentatious where I need a noun or an -ly form.
Use ostentatious to describe a noun or a person's state. Ostentatiously is an adverb (a word describing how something happens). Ostentation is the noun for the display or quality itself.
-
The host wore an ostentatious cape.
Why it works: The adjective describes cape.
-
The host bowed ostentatiously.
Why it works: The -ly form describes how he bowed.
-
Not this:
We disliked the ostentatious of the ceremony.Say: We disliked the ostentation of the ceremony.
The sentence needs the noun ostentation.
Your turn
Choose the form that fits: She waved ___ to attract attention.
Answer: ostentatiously
Show the answer
Answer: ostentatiously
The -ly form describes how she waved.
Compare ostentatious and pretentious
The problem: I think ostentatious is only about money and pretentious only about art.
The meanings overlap. Ostentatious emphasizes the show. Pretentious suggests that a person or thing claims more importance than it deserves. Both can describe language, objects, or behavior; they are not separate wealth and art categories.
The speaker notices someone showing off.
His ostentatious use of titles annoyed me.
The speaker doubts the importance being claimed.
His pretentious use of titles annoyed me.
Your turn
Which statement about these words is accurate?
Answer: The same behavior can be both ostentatious and pretentious.
Show the answer
Answer: The same behavior can be both ostentatious and pretentious.
The judgments can overlap: showy display and inflated importance.
Before you go
Question 1 of 3
Which phrase naturally describes someone spending money just to make other people look?
Answer: An ostentatious display of wealth
Show the answer
Answer: An ostentatious display of wealth
An ostentatious display of wealth is a natural phrase for showy spending.
Question 2 of 3
Arrange the chunks into a complete sentence:
Answer: She does not like ostentatious jewelry.
Show the answer
Answer: She does not like ostentatious jewelry.
The adjective ostentatious describes the noun jewelry.
Question 3 of 3 · One new sentence
The host arrives in a velvet suit covered with flashing lights. A guest calls it ostentatious and ridiculous. What does that guest think?
Answer: It is a flashy, boastful outfit that looks silly and attention-seeking.
Show the answer
Answer: It is a flashy, boastful outfit that looks silly and attention-seeking.
The guest's words criticize the suit as a showy display and also call it silly.
Remember this
Use the word when you mean to comment on a display. For an action, choose ostentatiously; for the display itself, choose ostentation.
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Noticing someone showing off at a restaurant
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Talking about modest clothing choices
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Observing an extravagant company celebration
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Comparing two styles of living in a quiet neighborhood
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Save my progressQuestions about "Ostentatious: meaning, tone, and examples"
Is ostentatious a compliment?
Usually it is a criticism. It suggests that something is too showy or is trying too hard to impress. A speaker can use it playfully, but it is not a safe choice for simple praise. Say what you admire if you want to compliment someone.
I thought the gold fountain was ostentatious.
I thought the stone fountain was elegant.
Does ostentatious only describe expensive things?
No. A gesture, manner, or display of knowledge can be ostentatious. Money is common in examples because people can use possessions to show off. The broader idea is drawing attention to a display, so no particular price is required.
She made an ostentatious show of checking the time.
His ostentatious use of technical terms distracted us.
How do I use ostentatious, ostentatiously, and ostentation?
Ostentatious describes a noun or a person. Ostentatiously describes how an action happens. Ostentation is the noun for the show or quality. Ostentatiousness is another noun for the quality, though ostentation is the shorter form.
The dancer made an ostentatious bow.
The dancer bowed ostentatiously.
What is the difference between ostentatious and pretentious?
Ostentatious draws attention to showing off. Pretentious suggests a claim to importance or cleverness that the speaker thinks is undeserved. Their meanings can overlap. Both can describe the same speech or behavior, with different emphasis.
The speaker's ostentatious name-dropping irritated me.
The speaker's pretentious name-dropping irritated me.
How do you pronounce ostentatious?
Say os-ten-TAY-shus, with four spoken parts. TAY has the strongest beat. The final part begins with sh and has a light vowel. British and American speakers may use different opening vowels, while keeping the stronger third part.
The room looked ostentatious.
I found the entrance rather ostentatious.
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