lavish
Americanadjective
-
expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion.
lavish spending.
- Synonyms:
- wild, unrestrained, wasteful, unreasonable, thriftless, intemperate, improvident, immoderate, extravagant, excessive
-
using or giving in great amounts; prodigal (often followed byof ).
lavish of his time;
lavish of affection.
- Synonyms:
- unsparing, openhanded, munificent, liberal, free, effusive, bountiful, generous
- Antonyms:
- tight-fisted, tight, stingy, parsimonious, miserly, cheap
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
prolific, abundant, or profuse
-
generous; unstinting; liberal
-
extravagant; prodigal; wasteful
lavish expenditure
verb
Synonym Usage
Lavish, prodigal, profuse refer to that which exists in abundance and is poured out copiously. Lavish suggests (sometimes excessive) generosity and openhandedness: lavish hospitality; much too lavish. Prodigal suggests wastefulness, improvidence, and reckless impatience of restraint: a prodigal extravagance. Profuse emphasizes abundance, but may suggest overemotionalism, exaggeration, or the like: profuse thanks, compliments, apologies.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of lavish
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English lavas “profusion” (noun), “profuse” (adjective), from Middle French lavasse, lavache “downpour of rain,” derivative of laver “to wash,” from Latin lavāre
Explanation
Lavish means "generous and extravagant" as an adjective and "to give generously" as a verb. If you don't like it when people lavish you with attention, you might appreciate a lavish spread of excellent food instead. Lavish comes from the Old French lavache meaning "deluge, torrent," referring to rain. When you see it, think of a shower of good things coming down on you as you never use lavish with something bad. Didn't your parents lavish you with praise and love when you were small? With lavish as an adjective, you can rephrase that question like this: Didn't your parents offer you lavish praise and love when you were little?
Vocabulary lists containing lavish
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Grade 9, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We understand a good number of cabinet ministers were lavish in their praise of Lord Mandelson immediately after he was sacked.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
"Gaddafi governed Libya for 42 years, and he did not accomplish what we have in two years," Belgacem, 46, told AFP, seated in an office inside a lavish palace in Benghazi.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
This guard-gated community is only a 20-minute drive from the Strip and very lavish and luxurious, where lot sizes are large and so are the square footages of the homes.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
“Violetta Mailyan falsely diagnosed patients, fraudulently billed for Botox injections while she was actually on lavish vacations and tried to trick federal agents with fake records,” Assistant Atty.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
When I’m done, I stand there, still decked out in lavish items, breathless and uneasy.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
