ostentatious

English

Etymology

Originated 1590; from Latin ostentātus +‎ -ious.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɒs.tɛnˈteɪ.ʃəs/, /ˌɒs.tənˈteɪ.ʃəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃəs

Adjective

ostentatious (comparative more ostentatious, superlative most ostentatious)

1. Of ostentation.
2. Intended to attract notice.
   • 2024 September 19, Fred Weir, “Why Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling on Ukraine sounds different this time”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     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. Of tawdry display; kitsch.

Synonyms

• (tawdry): Thesaurus:gaudy

Derived terms

• ostensible
• ostensive
• ostentatiously
• unostentatious

Translations

of ostentation

• Azerbaijani: ədabaz
• Bulgarian: показен (bg) (pokazen)
• Catalan: ostentós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 浮華 / 浮华 (zh) (fúhuá, fúhua), 闊綽 / 阔绰 (zh) (kuòchuò)

• Czech: okázalý (cs) m, ostentativní
• Dutch: protserig (nl)
• Esperanto: parada
• Finnish: ylitsevuotava, liiallinen (fi), mahtaileva (fi), pramea (fi)
• French: ostentatoire (fr)
• Galician: ostentoso m
• German: protzig (de), prahlerisch (de), prunkhaft (de), prunkvoll (de), prahlend (de), protzend (de), großtuerisch, pomphaft (de), pompös (de)
• Greek: επιδεικτικός (el) m (epideiktikós)
• Irish: mustrach, gáifeach, taibhseach
• Italian: ostentato (it)
• Japanese: けばけばしい (ja) (kebakebashii), 派手な (ja) (はでな, hade na)
• Macedonian: фалба́џиски (falbádžiski)
• Maori: hahaki
• Polish: ostentacyjny (pl)
• Portuguese: ostentatório
• Romanian: ostentativ (ro) m or n, provocator (ro) m or n, ostentațios m or n
• Russian: показно́й (ru) (pokaznój), нарочи́тый (ru) (naročítyj), хвастли́вый (ru) (xvastlívyj), вне́шний (ru) (vnéšnij) (superficial, external)
• Slovak: ostentatívny, vystatovačný, vypínavý
• Spanish: ostentoso (es)
• Swedish: skrytsam (sv), pompös (sv)
• Telugu: అట్టహాసము (te) (aṭṭahāsamu)
• Turkish: gösterişli (tr)
• Ukrainian: показний m (pokaznyj)

intended to attract notice

• Amharic: ሆኖም አሸብርቀው (honomi āshebirik’ewi)
• Catalan: ostentós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 刻意 (zh) (kèyì)

• Czech: provokativní (cs)
• Esperanto: provoka, altira, alloga
• Finnish: huomiotaherättävä (fi), provokatiivinen (fi)
• German: demonstrativ (de), ostentativ (de), auffällig (de), aufmerksamkeitsheischend
• Greek: επιδεικτικός (el) m (epideiktikós), προκλητικός (el) m (proklitikós)
• Irish: mustrach, gáifeach, taibhseach
• Italian: provocante (it), provocatore (it)
• Japanese: 派手な (hadena), 麗々しい (reireishī), 看板倒れ (kanbandaore)
• Maori: hahaki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: prangende

• Polish: ostentacyjny (pl)
• Portuguese: ostentoso (pt) m
• Romanian: provocator (ro) m or n
• Russian: показно́й (ru) (pokaznój)
• Spanish: ostentoso (es)
• Ukrainian: показний m (pokaznyj)
• Uzbek: o'rnak bo'ladigan
• Vietnamese: phô trương (vi), khoe khoang (vi)
• Welsh: rhwysgfawr, rodresgar, rwysgfawr, rhodresgar (cy)

of tawdry display

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 財大氣粗 / 财大气粗 (zh) (cáidàqìcū)

• Esperanto: paradeca, pavuma
• Finnish: mauton (fi), pramea (fi), kitsahtava
• German: kitschig (de), pompös (de), pomphaft (de)
• Greek: φανταχτερός (el) m (fantachterós)
• Irish: mustrach, gáifeach, taibhseach
• Italian: ostentato (it)
• Portuguese: espalhafatoso (pt) m
• Romanian: împopoțonat (ro), țipător (ro)
• Russian: крича́щий (ru) m (kričáščij) (figuratively), кичёвый m (kičóvyj)
• Swedish: kitschig (sv), prålig (sv), pompös (sv)

References

• “ostentatious”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “ostentatious”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "ostentatious" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.