extravaganza
Americannoun
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extravaganzas
plural
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a musical or dramatic composition or production, as comic opera or musical comedy, marked by a loose structure, a frivolous theme, and elaborate costuming and staging.
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any lavish or opulent show, event, assemblage, etc..
an extravaganza of new housewares on the twelfth floor.
noun
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an elaborately staged and costumed light entertainment
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any lavish or fanciful display, literary or other composition, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of extravaganza
1745–55; alteration of Italian ( e ) stravaganza extravagance
Explanation
Halftime at the Super Bowl, the Oscar awards ceremony, or the opera Aida performed at the Baths of Caracalla — each of these is an extravaganza, a big, splashy, extravagant entertainment or celebration. The word extravaganza comes from the Italian word estravaganza (or stravaganza), which was an elaborate literary or musical production. When the word appeared in English in the mid-18th century, English speakers turned the estra- into extra- because after all, an elaborate entertainment could certainly be called something "extra." Aida at the Baths of Caracalla, complete with horses, astonishing costumes, and faux-Egyptian temples — now that's an extravaganza.
Vocabulary lists containing extravaganza
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Westing Game
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Warrior Girl Unearthed
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There are so many categories and so many nominees—too much of a good thing, perchance—that the television academy splits the ceremonies in two: last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, and next Monday’s star-studded network extravaganza.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Even so, Tuesday she faced an orchestra that had just returned a week earlier from a grueling U.K. tour with Dudamel before jumping into the emotional and grueling farewell Bowl extravaganza.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Poltergeist” was, notably, a summertime Amblin release that similarly riffed on classic creature scares — updating dusty, old ghost tropes with new ideas — much like Mitchell does with his dino-time-travel extravaganza.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
An extravaganza at the Air Force stadium, he says, was his idea - and took years to make happen.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
In the fourth round, Bobby became involved in a 108-move extravaganza, a chess ultra-marathon that stretched to more than seven hours.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
It’s like a freaky evolution of the human-mishap extravaganzas that progressed from “America’s Funniest Home Videos” to “Jackass” to subreddits like Whatcouldgowrong to viral clips crashing my algorithm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The brand, valued at $1bn, became known for its runway extravaganzas, reminiscent of a modern alternative to the iconic Victoria's Secret shows, but this time with every body type on display.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2025
Trump hosted WrestleMania extravaganzas at his hotels and made numerous appearances at matches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024
There’s a fascinatingly wide array of big titles leaving Netflix in the United States in March — everything from kiddie cartoons to star-heavy dramas to action extravaganzas.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
In fact they cared not at all about the war, about scientific inventions, about the advance of industry, the price of gold, or the latest extravaganzas in the world of fashion.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
