From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishostentationos‧ten‧ta‧tion /ˌɒstənˈteɪʃən, -ten- $ ˌɑː-/ noun [uncountable] formal SHOW OFFwhen you deliberately try to show people how rich or clever you are, in order to make them admire you Her lifestyle was remarkably free from ostentation.
Examples from the Corpus
ostentation• Inside the church, the degree of elaboration and ostentation of both architecture and fittings indicates status and wealth in the community.• His extravagance and ostentation were balanced by a natural dignity and reserve.• However, a really heavy paper does not impress and is often seen more as ostentation than as a sign of quality.• It was a time not only of heroic inequality but of incredible ostentation.• With the decline of ostentation, or its vulgarization, wealth and hence inequality were no longer flagrantly advertised.• Soloist Annette Servadei played beautifully with an involvement entirely free from any kind of ostentation.• the ostentation and idleness of the rich• Therefore, ostentation continues to have a purpose.• And there is the look: richness without ostentation and flash.Origin ostentation (1400-1500) Old French Latin, from ostentare “to show ostentatiously”, from ostendere; → OSTENSIBLE 