Luxury Meaning
/ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounVery wealthy and comfortable surroundings; the state of being that they create.
nounSomething desirable but expensive and that one can live without.
Sentence Examples
A television set used to be a luxury.
Taking a taxi is a luxury for me.
Accommodation ranges from tourist class to luxury hotels.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
They could not afford the ____ of a private jet and stayed in economy class instead.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Traveling in first class is a ____ that most people are not able to afford on a regular basis today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English luxurie, from Old French luxurie, from Latin luxuria (“rankness, luxury”), from luxus (“extravagance, luxury”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“[…] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic? […]”"
— 1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"And with Millennial and Gen Z consumers accounting for a growing proportion of spending, the luxury market is increasingly sensitive to the social and environmental causes they identify with. […] With all this in mind, here are CNN Style’s best small luxuries for the conscientious gift giver: […]"
— 2020 December 15, Marianna Cerini, “Holiday gift guide: Ethical luxuries for conscientious shoppers”, in CNN:
"Sir Humphrey Appleby: Bernard, what do you want? / Bernard Woolley: I want to have a clear conscience. / […] / Sir Humphrey Appleby: When did you acquire this taste for luxuries (laugh track)?"
— 1980 March 3, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “Official Secrets (Yes, Prime Minister)”, in Yes, Prime Minister, season 2, episode 2, spoken by Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Woolley (Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds):
"As the 1857 to Manchester Piccadilly rolls in, I scan the windows and realise there are plenty of spare seats, so I hop aboard. The train is a '221'+'220' combo to allow for social distancing - a luxury on an XC train as normally you're playing sardines, so I make the most of it."
— 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
"Fie on sinnefull phantasie: Fie on Lust, and Luxurie:"
— c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 51, column 2:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
They could not afford the ____ of a private jet and stayed in economy class instead.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Traveling in first class is a ____ that most people are not able to afford on a regular basis today.