conspicuous consumption

Use Conspicuous consumption in a sentence

noun

public enjoyment of possessions that are known to be costly so that one's ability to pay for such things is flaunted.

Origin:
used by Thorstein Veblen in The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

conspicuous consumption

—n
	spending in a lavish or ostentatious way, esp to impress others with one's wealth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10

Conspicuous consumption is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

conspicuous consumption definition

Buying unnecessary and expensive products and services as a way to show off wealth. The term was coined by U.S. economist Thorstein Veblen in The Theory of the Leisure Class.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences

These workers, who came of age during a tough job market, tend to shun

conspicuous consumption.

It appears, for instance, to be a by-product of conspicuous consumption.

These obsessives are hardwired for conspicuous consumption, often with the

emphasis on conspicuous.

Early governors used the tax to discourage conspicuous consumption and what was

considered unsuitable behavior.

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Matching Quote

"The hippie is the scion of surplus value. The dropout can only claim sanctity in a society which offers something to be dropped out of—career, ambition, conspicuous consumption. The effects of hippie sanctimony can only be felt in the context of others who plunder his lifestyle for what they find good or profitable, a process known as rip-off by the hippie, who will not see how savagely he has pillaged intricate and demanding civilizations for his own parodic lifestyle."

-Germaine Greer