Ostentator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who seeks to impress others by displaying their wealth or achievements in a flashy and exaggerated way
2. An individual who habitually shows off their possessions or accomplishments to gain admiration or recognition from others
3. A person known for demonstrating their riches or skills in a conspicuous manner to attract attention and admiration

Etymology: Ostentator comes straight from Latin "ostentātor", a noun meaning one who displays or shows off, built from the verb "ostentāre", "to keep showing" or "to display repeatedly." That verb is itself a frequentative form of "ostendere", "to show, present, or reveal," which combines "ob-" ("before, toward") with "tendere" ("to stretch out"). The image underneath is of holding something up before someone's eyes. The Latin root was active in classical writers, who used "ostentare" and its relatives for both showing things and the vanity of showing them off. The English noun carries that same tension: the ostentator wants to be seen, and the seeing is the whole point. Like its Latin source, the word is a agent noun formed on a verb stem, so its meaning stays tied to the act of display rather than to any object displayed.