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)
-
lavishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lavished,
past participle, past
-
lavishing
present participle
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
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lavishernoun
-
lavishmentnoun
-
lavishnessnoun
-
overlavishnessnoun
-
overlavishadjective
-
unlavishadjective
-
unlavishedadjective
-
lavishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lavishsimple
-
lavishessimple
-
have lavishedperfect
-
has lavishedperfect
-
am lavishingprogressive
-
are lavishingprogressive
-
is lavishingprogressive
-
have been lavishingperfect progressive
-
has been lavishingperfect progressive
Past
-
lavishedsimple
-
had lavishedperfect
-
was lavishingprogressive
-
were lavishingprogressive
-
had been lavishingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
At the lavish home of one of Miami's top plastic surgeons, overlooking the Biscayne Bay, some of the wealthiest Cuban-American families in Florida have gathered.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
You may be wondering just what kind of company would be so willing to lavish the resources required for a full-scale New York City musical, accompanied by loads of free merch.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Designed with both everyday living and entertaining in mind, the property is packed with lavish amenities, including a basketball court, wine cellar, home theater, entertainer’s bar, and spacious chef’s kitchen.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Plus, inside Prada’s lavish strategy to turn very important clients into even bigger spenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“She’ll be safe as long as she remembers to act like a zombie. So now I think I’ve earned that lavish apology,” the bodyguard said.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
The compassionate attention she lavishes on her gentle, troubled protagonist opens up an entire world, if you’re willing to take in what’s been hiding in plain sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
“For this reason, I wish in my first encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us, and which we in turn must share with others.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
On his debut album, Jonathan Tetelman lavishes his sumptuous tenor and almost poetic attention on classic Romantic and verismo arias.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
The United States is a wealthy nation that lavishes spending on health care, supports a world-class biomedical research effort and was top-ranked for pandemic readiness.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2022
He lavishes attention on the great storm-colored beast and her tiny rider from the moment we meet in the morning until the moment they disappear for the parade.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
A Singaporean man has lost a court case to claw back hundreds of thousands of dollars that he had lavished on his ex-girlfriend while they were together.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
With vast sums lavished on artificial intelligence investment over the past two years, markets are growing increasingly nervous about whether firms can deliver results to match.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Some cabinet members, like Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, lavished the president with adulation in their comments.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Tech billionaires—Laurene Powell Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Steve and Connie Ballmer come to mind—never guessed that the network of climate groups on which they lavished their millions would eventually turn on their industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
In this way, I hope to spread among others the gifts lavished upon me for my pains in the College of Lucidity; to loose knowledge from its corral and allow it free pasturage.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Wall Street hasn’t exactly been lavishing the stock with praise lately.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
She’s made headlines for lavishing praise on Clarence Thomas in the past.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
Companies were growing and bosses were lavishing ever-higher pay and perks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
But looking back now Esther describes it as "love bombing" - the practice of lavishing someone with attention and affection often as a means to manipulate them.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
Was he indeed lavishing upon Virgie—Virgie, her little girl, her willing drudge, to whom she had deputed all disagreeable duties—the torrent of devotion which she might once have had?
From The Daughter Pays by Mrs. Baillie Reynolds
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.
