Sumptuous means impressively rich, luxurious, and expensive-looking. A sumptuous feast is a magnificent spread with elegant dishes, beautiful decorations, and abundant food that makes everyone feel they're experiencing something special. A sumptuous room might have thick velvet curtains, ornate furniture, and artwork that makes you want to look around and admire every detail.

The word captures both the actual expense and the feeling of luxury. A sumptuous wedding cake might tower high with intricate decorations and premium ingredients. A sumptuous costume in a historical movie uses genuine silk and careful stitching rather than cheap fabric and shortcuts.

When you read about a king's sumptuous palace or a sumptuous celebration in a novel, the author wants you to imagine something beyond ordinary comfort: something lavish, abundant, and designed to impress. The word suggests that someone spent serious money and effort to create something magnificent. You might describe a fancy restaurant's dessert as sumptuous, or call a museum's decorative rooms sumptuous, but you probably wouldn't use the word for everyday things like a comfortable couch or a tasty sandwich.