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
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Quattrone and Lim kept a feeling of closeness and intimacy throughout the sprawling property by adding sumptuous fabrics and artwork with personal significance.
—Camille Okhio, Architectural Digest, 29 Apr. 2026
Inter seemed to be coasting toward the win but Giovanni Simeone pulled one back for Torino in the 70th minute with a sumptuous goal.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Released in 2020, the chronograph is a sumptuous mix of black and 18-karat 5N gold.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 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 4 May. 2026.
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sumptuous
adjective
