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
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Part hammock, part daybed, a luxurious platform swing makes a sumptuous spot to get lost in your favorite book.
—Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 22 May 2026
Scott Keiji Takeda, who plays Ta, Mei-Li’s reluctant inamorato, has a sumptuous voice that captures the hues of Richard Rodgers’ music.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
With the last kick of the first half, Emiliano Buendia submitted his own goal-of-the-tournament contender with a sumptuous left-footed curler that gave Freiburg goalie Noah Atubolu no chance.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 20 May 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 26 May. 2026.
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sumptuous
adjective
