sumptuous
adjective
Did you know?
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens may be a few of your favorite things, but are they sumptuous? Alas, though the best things in life are often free, sumptuous is a child of the Latin word sumptus, meaning “expense,” and it typically describes things that can only be had at some significant expense. A sumptuous lifestyle, for example, is more likely to involve silver-white bling than a silver-white winter that melts into spring. Sumptus has another English relation, this one tied even more closely to conspicuous consumption: sumptuary laws are largely historical regulations limiting extravagant expenditures and habits, especially on moral or religious grounds. (The sump in consumption is coincidental; that word comes from consume, which has its roots in Latin sumere meaning “to take up, take.”)
Examples of sumptuous in a Sentence
Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The Oscar-winning British filmmaker crafts a sumptuous bad romance that’s quite haughty, darkly hilarious and ultimately heartfelt.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
The lobby and other public areas are sumptuous – with original floor-to-ceiling mahogany panelling, damask sofas in rich reds and antique chandeliers everywhere.
—Caroline Law, TheWeek, 9 Feb. 2026
Céline Sciamma offered up one of the most sumptuous visions of romance in recent memory with this tale of an artist (Noémie Merlant) commissioned to paint a portrait of a bride-to-be (Adèle Haenel) on an island off the coast of Brittany in the 18th Century.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sumptuous
Cite this Entry
“Sumptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sumptuous. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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sumptuous
adjective
