Ostentatious

//ˌɒs.tɛnˈteɪ.ʃəs// adj

adj ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of ostentation.
  2. 2
    Intended to attract notice.

    "Over the course of the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has drawn several “red lines” – with ostentatious references to Russia’s huge strategic nuclear arsenal – only to seemingly do nothing when these lines are crossed by Ukraine or its Western backers."

  3. 3
    Of tawdry display; kitsch.
Adjective
  1. 1
    intended to attract notice and impress others wordnet
  2. 2
    (of a display) tawdry or vulgar wordnet

Example

More examples

"Tom wants to build an ostentatious and smart house."

Etymology

Originated 1590; from Latin ostentātus + -ious.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.