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César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz’s hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and the phrase “to put on the ritz” means “to indulge in ostentatious display.” The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1919.
Examples of ritzy in a Sentence
Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2025
Duchon worked several sales over $20 million this year, mostly in Miami Beach’s ritziest neighborhoods.
—Catherine Odom
december 25, Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
The Reiners were found dead with stab wounds at their home in the ritzy community of Brentwood, California.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
The modern-day Garden of Italy pays homage to its 1930s ancestor with standout handmade pastas and wine served in that quintessentially ritzy yet homey atmosphere.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ritzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritzy. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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