Wiktionary

conspicuous consumption

English

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Etymology

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Coined by American economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in 1899.

Noun

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conspicuous consumption (uncountable)

  1. A public display of acquisition of possessions with the intention of gaining social prestige; excessive consumerism in order to flaunt one's purchasing power.
    • 1899, Thorstein Veblen, chapter 4, in The Theory of the Leisure Class […] ‎[1], New York: Macmillan, →OCLC:
      Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.
    • 1907 June, Alvin S. Johnson, “Influences Affecting the Development of Thrift”, in Political Science Quarterly, volume 22, number 2, page 238:
      "Conspicuous consumption" is a proof of economic success.
    • 1952 Nov, Paul Mackendrick, “Education for the Art of Living”, in The Journal of Higher Education, volume 23, number 8, page 423:
      Professional humanists . . . resent Veblen's saying that knowing an ancient language is conspicuous consumption and conspicuous waste, like growing your fingernails long and painting them, or keeping a Pekingese.
    • 2004 Sep, Ed Hopkins, Tatiana Kornienko, “Running to Keep in the Same Place: Consumer Choice as a Game of Status”, in The American Economic Review, volume 94, number 4, page 1086:
      As a society becomes richer, those whose incomes do not grow spend more on conspicuous consumption in an attempt to keep up.

Translations

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See also

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See also

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Further reading

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