-ˌəs adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French luxurieux, from Latin luxuriosus, from luxuria luxury, excess + -osus -ose
1. : of, relating to, or expressive of especially unrestrained gratification of the senses
gave a cautious sniff, and then a luxurious one — Jan Struther
the bottomland corn … rustled thickly, a luxurious , arousing sound — Max Steele
that sense of tears in mortal things, that sort of luxurious melancholy — Norman Birkett
often : lecherous , sensual , voluptuous
a peep show presenting the choicest erotic fantasies evolved in the course of the most luxurious civilizations — Saturday Review
2.
a. : pleasure loving : fond of luxury or self-indulgence : sybaritic
a luxurious nobility having regard neither for toil nor for temperance — J.D.Hart
a sophisticate who defends his luxurious tastes and his simple conviction that the best is quite good enough for him — R.A.Cordell
b. : characterized by opulence, sumptuousness, or rich abundance
imagined … her husband installed in a luxurious suite of rooms — W.S.Maugham
luxurious privileges which seem to be reserved for … officials — H.S.Canby
never before … has the work been led so suavely, so powerfully, or with so luxurious a sound — Virgil Thomson
a luxurious cargo of wine, olive oil, and candied tropic fruits — Elinor Wylie
specifically : excessively ornate
a luxurious piece of late romantic writing, heavily orchestrated — Edward Sackville-West & Desmond Shawe-Taylor
3. : luxuriant
luxurious vegetation
tossed his luxurious black mane — Eleanor Clark
Synonyms:
luxurious , sumptuous , and opulent can apply to something obviously or ostentatiously rich or magnificent. luxurious implies choice and costly and is often used to refer to that which provides unusual physical ease and gratification
a luxurious home with every comfort
a mass of gorgeous upholstery and a labyrinth of luxurious architecture — G.K.Chesterton
the place is luxurious, with gay cabañas on the shore of a lake, with fencing and riding teachers, beautiful flower gardens, and various recreational facilities — American Guide Series: Maine
lighting a cigarette and stretching out his legs in luxurious contentment — J.C.Powys
evenings of luxurious quiet after toil — Adrian Bell
sumptuous implies extravagantly rich, splendid, or luxurious
a velvet gown, sumptuous and wine-purple, with a white ruff that stood up … high and stiff — Edmund Wilson
sumptuous as the processional colors of the forest — Elinor Wylie
a sumptuous breakfast of hot cakes, fresh eggs and coffee and prime cold venison — Walter O'Meara
opulent stresses an extreme richness or sometimes a flaunting luxuriousness
the opulent court of an Indian rajah
opulent color, used mainly in pictures of nudes and still life — Eric Newton
wild opulent growth — Duncan Phillips
the table spread with opulent hospitality … the baked ham at one end and the saddle of roast mutton at the other, with fried chicken, oysters, crabs, sweet potatoes, jellies, custards — V.L.Parrington
Synonym: see in addition sensuous .