regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"
sumptuary
How to use sumptuary in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for sumptuary.
Editorial note
"Subsidy" is a misnomer, think of it as a sumptuary tax or a fine.
Quick take
regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of sumptuary gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for sumptuary.
adjective
regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"
Example sentences
"Subsidy" is a misnomer, think of it as a sumptuary tax or a fine.
There were actually laws, in many different times and places, know generally as "sumptuary laws".
Suits once denoted upper class, and sumptuary laws prevented lower classes from looking upper.
But also because enforcing the sumptuary laws displays power, which confers status, which enhances his power etc.
Except that it's not a continuation of sumptuary laws because there's a huge difference between a law and individual decisions people make.
What the French call “the caviar left,” la gauche caviar, or what Anglo-Saxons call champagne socialists, are people who advocate socialism, sometimes even communism, or some political system with sumptuary limitations, while overtly leading a lavish lifestyle, often financed by inheritance—not realizing the contradiction that they want others to avoid just such a lifestyle.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use sumptuary in a sentence?
"Subsidy" is a misnomer, think of it as a sumptuary tax or a fine.
What does sumptuary mean?
regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; "sumptuary laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots"; "sumptuary laws forbidding gambling"
What part of speech is sumptuary?
sumptuary is commonly used as adjective.