Sybarite

American  

[sib-uh-rahyt] / ˈsɪb əˌraɪt /

noun

1. (usually lowercase)  a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.

   Synonyms:

   sensualist

2. an inhabitant of Sybaris.

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sybarite British  

/ ˈsɪbəˌraɪt, ˌsɪbəˈrɪtɪk /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a devotee of luxury and the sensual vices

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adjective

1. luxurious; sensuous

Other Word Forms

• sybaritic adjective
• sybaritically adverb
• sybaritism noun

Etymology

Origin of Sybarite

1590–1600; < Latin Sybarīta < Greek Sybarī́tēs. See Sybaris, -ite ¹

Example Sentences

It’s difficult to imagine a worse addition to this oil-and-water mix of high-minded nonconformist cranks and hard-toiling middle-class settlers than a capitalist sybarite.

From Los Angeles Times

“Spa Sybarite” is a three-minute film by Joshua Ashish Dawson, a 32-year-old Angeleno who describes himself as a “world builder” and much of his work as “speculative climate futures.”

From New York Times

At “Spa Sybarite,” the voice-over goes on, guests are offered “an assortment of scientifically tested customized treatments to help your body condition itself to the environmental despair that faces our planet.”

From New York Times

His invention of a white, presumably wealthy protagonist in “Spa Sybarite” raises the question of who has access to wellness, not to mention basic heath care.

From New York Times

As a dreamy soundtrack plays in the background, she arrives at “Spa Sybarite,” where futuristic stone treatment pods hover on stilts above a desert landscape.

From New York Times