Definition of conspicuous consumption in English:

noun

• Expenditure on or consumption of luxuries on a lavish scale in an attempt to enhance one's prestige.

  ‘an age of increasing conspicuous consumption’

  ‘these mansions were seen as monstrous monuments to conspicuous consumption’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The affluence of ordinary consumers manifested itself in a growing market for luxury items, conspicuous consumption, and very short product cycles.’
  • ‘Legislators have penalized certain forms of conspicuous consumption by imposing luxury taxes on expensive cars, yachts, and other items.’
  • ‘In Thailand, a cappuccino costs the equivalent of three bowls of noodles, enhancing its potential for conspicuous consumption.’
  • ‘Equating conspicuous consumption with hospitality, Beverly pours endless drinks down everyone's throats.’
  • ‘Conspicuous consumption and wealth in material goods can set up tensions - people whose basic needs are satisfied do not realise they are poor until they become aware that others have more.’
  • ‘Dress codes have relaxed over the last generation, but the conspicuous consumption of important symbols of wealth and success provides important strategies for class mobility and social advancement.’
  • ‘Renowned for its love of magnificent display and for its conspicuous consumption of material wealth, the Burgundian court did much to shape the development of Flemish illumination.’
  • ‘The roots of hip hop's infatuation with expensive, outrageous and overtly customised motor vehicles lie in ghetto fabulous, the trend for conspicuous consumption.’
  • ‘Conspicuous consumption has never been more evident than in the explosion of the bottled water business.’
  • ‘Don't celebrate the fact that you're like everyone else, with your SUVs that never go off-road, your all-star kids and your conspicuous consumption.’
  • ‘The nouveau riche engage in many forms of conspicuous consumption, including expensive cars, cellular phones, designer clothing, and the display of trophy wives and mistresses.’
  • ‘Society observers and media sources agree that conspicuous consumption has exploded in the past decade.’
  • ‘If England was marked out from the rest of Britain and Ireland by the quantity of its stone building by 1100, it was also distinguished by its conspicuous consumption.’
  • ‘In the past bringing in a professional would have been seen as a luxury or a form of conspicuous consumption.’
  • ‘Academic and corporate titles are seldom used, and conspicuous consumption is condemned.’
  • ‘The bourgeoisie were those who lacked the great honour associated with nobility, but enjoyed a lesser prestige that came from being educated, having enough wealth to engage in conspicuous consumption, and avoiding manual labour.’