lavish

/ˈlævɪʃ/

/ˈlævɪʃ/

Other forms: lavished; lavishing; lavishes; lavishingly

Lavish means "generous and extravagant" as an adjective and "to give generously" as a verb. If you don't like it when people lavish you with attention, you might appreciate a lavish spread of excellent food instead.

Lavish comes from the Old French lavache meaning "deluge, torrent," referring to rain. When you see it, think of a shower of good things coming down on you as you never use lavish with something bad. Didn't your parents lavish you with praise and love when you were small? With lavish as an adjective, you can rephrase that question like this: Didn't your parents offer you lavish praise and love when you were little?

Definitions of lavish

1. adjective

   given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
   “distributed gifts with a lavish hand”

   “the critics were lavish in their praise”

   synonyms: munificent, overgenerous, too-generous, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting

   generous

   willing to give and share unstintingly
2. adjective

   characterized by extravagance and profusion
   “a lavish buffet”

   synonyms: extravagant, lucullan, lush, plush, plushy

   rich

   suggestive of or characterized by great expense
3. verb

   expend profusely; also used with abstract nouns
   synonyms: shower

   type of:

   consume, squander, ware, waste

   spend extravagantly