ostentation
/ˌɒstənˈteɪʃən/
ostentation means ambitious display; vain show; display intended to excite admiration or applause.
ostentation is pronounced /ˌɒstənˈteɪʃən/.
Why “ostentation” is a great word
Pretentious and vulgar display, especially of wealth and luxury, intended to impress others. From Middle English ostentacioun, borrowed from Middle French ostentation and its etymon Latin ostentātiōnem, from ostentāre ("to display"), a frequentative of ostendere ("to present, show"), first attested in English 1425–75. Unlike "pomp," which suggests a dignified, ceremonial grandeur, or "showiness," which can be innocent or artistic, ostentation carries a deliberate, boastful intent that announces itself too loudly. It is the clatter of too many gold bangles, the engine revved at a pedestrian crossing, the name-dropped affiliation that hangs in the air like cheap cologne—a shimmering hunger for awe that mistakes attention for reverence.
Etymology
Originated 1425–75 from late Middle English ostentacioun, borrowed from Middle French ostentation and its etymon Latin ostentātiō, ostentātiōnem, equivalent to ostentātus (past participle of ostentāre, to display or exhibit), frequentative of ostendere (“to present, display”) + -iōn. By surface analysis, ostent + -ation.
noun
- Ambitious display; vain show; display intended to excite admiration or applause.
- A show or spectacle.e.g.“Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed:
Maintain a mourning ostentation;”