ritzy

adjective

ˈrit-sē 

ritzier; ritziest

1

: impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish : fashionable, posh

a ritzy boutique

2

: snobbish

ritziness noun

Did you know?

César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz’s hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and the phrase “to put on the ritz” means “to indulge in ostentatious display.” The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1919.

Synonyms

• aristocratic
• elitist
• high-hat
• persnickety
• potty
• snobbish
• snobby
• snooty
• snotty
• toffee-nosed [chiefly British]

Examples of ritzy in a Sentence

I don't appreciate your ritzy advice about whom I “should” associate with.

Recent Examples on the Web

In its more prosperous years, the Philadelphia chapter operated out of a mansion in one of the city’s ritziest suburbs; today, its financial circumstances can be surmised from the size of its storefront church on Ridge Avenue. —Emily Harnett, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024

Stay like a socialite For a staycation worthy of a socialite, sink into luxury at The Breakers, one of the oldest and ritziest hotel zip codes on the island. —Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Ritz hotels, noted for their opulence

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

ritzy

adjective

ˈrit-sē 

ritzier; ritziest

1

: very fashionable

2

: stuck-up, snobbish

Etymology

from Ritz, name of a group of elegant hotels