What does "lavish" mean?
Excessive abundance or expenditure, profusion, prodigality.
Lavish
/ˈlævɪʃ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Excessive abundance or expenditure, profusion, prodigality.
- Grammar: lavish is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abounding, abundant, accord, administer.
- Useful contrasts: austere, austerer, austerest.
- Usage evidence: The real estate broker was lavish in his spending in Ginza.
How to use "lavish"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lavish" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lavish" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lavish" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lavish" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lavish" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abounding" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lavish", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Excessive abundance or expenditure, profusion, prodigality. obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To give out extremely generously; to squander. transitive
"They lavished money on the dinner."
- 2 expend profusely; also used with abstract nouns wordnet
- 3 To give out to (somebody) extremely generously. transitive
"They lavished him with praise."
Adjective
- 1 Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.
"lavish of money; lavish of praise"
- 2 Superabundant; excessive.
"lavish spirits"
- 3 Unrestrained, impetuous. obsolete
"Thou wilt repent theſe lauiſh words of thine"
- 4 Rank or lush with vegetation. dialectal
"[…] Thro’ lands where not a leaf was dumb; But all the lavish hills would hum The murmur of a happy Pan: […]"
Adjective
- 1 very generous wordnet
- 2 characterized by extravagance and profusion wordnet
Example
"The real estate broker was lavish in his spending in Ginza."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lavish"?
Common synonyms include: abounding, abundant, accord, administer, affluent, afford.
How do you use "lavish" in a sentence?
The real estate broker was lavish in his spending in Ginza.
How do you pronounce "lavish"?
Pronounced /ˈlævɪʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivalent to lave + -ish. Compare Scots lawage, lavisch, lavish (“unrestrained, excessively prodigal, extravagant”). Compare also English lavy (“lavish, liberal”), Dutch lafenis (“lavishness”).