Opulence
n.joyful, calmliterary
What it means
Rich beauty, comfort, and impressive abundance.
Reach for it when naming impressive abundance of luxury, richness, or ornament
Warm lighting gave the modest dining room a sense of opulence.
Choose between these
7- everyday
costly comfort and quality are central
not when Luxury need not be visually abundant.
- warm
depth, abundance, or fine quality is meant
not when Richness also applies to many nonmaterial qualities.
- formal
scale and dignity create the impression
not when Grandeur can be austere rather than opulent.
- formal
lavishness
abundant expenditure or provision is the point
not when Lavishness can imply excess or waste.
- formal
exceptional impressive beauty leads
not when Magnificence says little about material abundance.
- literary
magnificent visual effect deserves emphasis
not when Splendor can come from nature without wealth.
- literary
sumptuousness
rich sensory comfort suits elevated prose
not when The term is conspicuous in ordinary description.
Said against
3- austerity
- poverty
- plainness
It naturally appears in
3- sense of opulence
Warm light gave the modest room a sense of opulence.
- quiet opulence
Natural silk created quiet opulence without heavy ornament.
- display of opulence
The palace staircase remained a deliberate display of opulence.
Where this comes from
Opulence can praise sensory richness or criticize conspicuous excess; context determines the judgment.
- wiktionary, English noun, great wealth or luxurious abundance sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-27
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.