Definition

1. Noun:
   • Pretentious or showy or vulgar display: "Ostentation" refers to an excessive, often vulgar, display intended to attract attention or impress others, typically through wealth, status, or knowledge.
   • Lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity: It describes a quality of being overly showy in a way that reveals vanity and a lack of true sophistication or elegance.
   • A gaudy outward display: It signifies a flashy, overly bright, or tastelessly ornate exhibition meant for public view.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The billionaire's mansion was a monument to ostentation, with gold-plated fixtures everywhere. (The house showed an excessive, vulgar display of wealth.)
  • Her speech was full of ostentation, using complex words merely to sound intelligent. (Her manner of speaking was a pretentious display.)
  • They avoided ostentation, preferring a simple and elegant lifestyle. (They avoided showy, gaudy displays.)

Advanced Usage

• "To avoid ostentation": to deliberately steer clear of showy or pretentious displays.
  • The artist, despite his fame, lived in a modest studio to avoid ostentation.
• "Sheer ostentation": used to emphasize the complete and unadulterated nature of the showiness.
  • The ceremony was an exercise in sheer ostentation, with no regard for subtlety.

Variants and Related Words

• Ostentatious (adj): Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; showy.
  • His ostentatious jewelry drew many stares.
• Ostentatiously (adv): In a showy or pretentious manner.
  • He ostentatiously parked his expensive car in front of the restaurant.

Synonyms

• Showiness: The quality of being attractively bright or colorful in a way that lacks taste.
• Flamboyance: The tendency to attract attention because of exuberance, confidence, and stylishness (can be positive or negative).
• Pretentiousness: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.
• Vulgarity: The state of being lacking in sophistication or good taste.

Antonyms

• Modesty: The quality of being unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements.
• Simplicity: The quality of being plain or uncomplicated in form or design.
• Restraint: Moderation or self-control; the act of holding back.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Conspicuous consumption": A term often associated with ostentation, referring to the lavish spending on goods and services to publicly display economic power.
  • The gala was an event of conspicuous consumption, with guests trying to outdo each other's outfits.

Noun

1. pretentious or showy or vulgar display
2. lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity
3. a gaudy outward display