lavish
Americanadjective
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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
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lavishernoun
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lavishmentnoun
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lavishnessnoun
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overlavishnessnoun
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overlavishadjective
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unlavishadjective
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unlavishedadjective
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lavishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lavishsimple
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lavishessimple
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have lavishedperfect
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has lavishedperfect
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am lavishingprogressive
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are lavishingprogressive
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is lavishingprogressive
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have been lavishingperfect progressive
-
has been lavishingperfect progressive
Past
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lavishedsimple
-
had lavishedperfect
-
was lavishingprogressive
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were lavishingprogressive
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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.
A bowl of pantry pasta that might otherwise look a little lonely suddenly looks downright lavish when it’s surrounded by warm rolls, a dish of olive oil and a basket lined with a linen napkin.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
The AI coding startup once garnered lavish praise for its explosive revenue growth.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026
A former Nigerian oil minister has been cleared of taking bribes from wealthy oil executives in the form of luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
There should be no single, all-powerful character around which a democracy revolves, so it is considered unseemly to lavish excessive finery on the head of state.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Almost everything she had seen that had anything to do with the gods and goddesses was lavish and beautiful.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
