Lavish means giving or spending in extremely generous, abundant, or extravagant amounts. When a hotel provides a lavish breakfast buffet, there are mountains of food: fresh pastries, exotic fruits, made-to-order omelets, and countless other choices. When someone throws a lavish party, they spare no expense on decorations, entertainment, and refreshments.

The word carries a sense of abundance that goes beyond what's necessary. A simple gift shows thoughtfulness, but a lavish gift demonstrates extraordinary generosity. A teacher might offer lavish praise for exceptional work, meaning enthusiastic compliments that go well beyond “good job.”

You can also use lavish as a verb meaning to give abundantly: a proud parent might lavish attention on their child's school performance, celebrating every achievement with genuine enthusiasm.

While lavish usually describes welcome generosity, it can sometimes suggest excessiveness. Someone might criticize a government for lavish spending on an unnecessary building when that money could help more people in practical ways. The key is whether the abundance feels appropriate and generous, or wasteful and overdone.