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ritzy • (adjective)
\RIT-see\
hear it again
1 : very fashionable
2 : stuck-up, snobbish
Example sentence:
For the ritzy embassy reception, Angela knew that she would be expected to wear a gown and high heels instead of her usual jeans and sneakers.
Etymology:
In 1898 Cesar Ritz opened a hotel in Paris that was to be the last word in luxury. He named it after himself, and after a few years and the establishment of more hotels, the Ritz Hotels became a symbol of elegant living. "Ritzy," the adjective derived from the hotel name, has come to stand for everything its guests were seen to be: fashionable and classy. However, the extravagance for which the Ritz Hotels were famous caused "ritzy" to also be synonymous with "showy," "flashy," and "glitzy." And when the word is applied to people, it tends to mean "snobbish" or "snooty."
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