Ostentatiousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A trait defined by an extravagant and showy display aimed at attracting attention or admiration
2. A quality characterized by overly flashy or pretentious displays meant to grab attention
3. The state of being conspicuously flamboyant or grandiose to impress others

Etymology: Ostentatiousness is a plain English formation: the adjective "ostentatious" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective comes from "ostentation," a noun borrowed from Latin "ostentatio," meaning a showing off or display, which is itself built from the verb "ostendere," "to show or present." The source word therefore carries the idea of putting something on show, and the adjective narrowed that neutral sense into one of pretension. The suffix does the real work here. "-ness" is an old English ending, descended from Old English "-nes," that has been attached to native and borrowed adjectives for centuries, so that any quality can be named as a thing. Its pedigree goes back through Germanic forms to a much older root, but in practice the word was assembled in English from existing parts. "Ostentatiousness" thus describes the quality of being ostentatious, the trait a showy display reveals.

Synonyms: showiness, pretentiousness, flamboyance, flashiness

Antonyms: modesty, humility, reservedness