extravagance
Americannoun
-
excessive or unnecessary expenditure or outlay of money.
- Antonyms:
- frugality
-
an instance of this.
That sports car is an inexcusable extravagance.
-
unrestrained or fantastic excess, as of actions or opinions.
- Synonyms:
- profusion, lavishness
-
an extravagant action, notion, etc..
the extravagances one commits in moments of stress.
noun
-
excessive outlay of money; wasteful spending
-
immoderate or absurd speech or behaviour
Etymology
Origin of extravagance
1635–45; < French, Middle French; extravagant, -ance
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.
Trust that if you’ve never enjoyed your eggs with such extravagance and complexity, it will change your palate for the better.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
The former first lady, now 60, gained a reputation, and criticism, over the years for her alleged appetite for shopping and extravagance, earning her the moniker "Gucci Grace".
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
When protests broke out to oust the Shah, she showed up for her community, a tightknit cluster of graduate students who were frustrated by his extravagance and tyranny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
To anyone who disagreed with the need for a ship, Del Toro would explain that it was not an extravagance.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
They got rid of the extravagance favored by the monarchy.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
