Ostentation is the showing-off itself: when someone makes a point of letting you see how rich, clever, or important they are, so that you will admire them. A gold watch waved about in a cheap café, the name of a university dropped into every sentence, a party that exists mainly to be photographed — that is ostentation.

Ostentation本身 is就是 the showing-off itself炫耀這件事：when當 someone有人 makes a point of letting you see故意要讓你看到 how rich, clever, or important they are他們多有錢、多聰明或多重要，so that好讓 you will admire them你會佩服他們。in a cheap café在便宜咖啡廳裡 a gold watch waved about亮著一支金錶、the name of a university某大學校名 dropped into every sentence句句都提到、a party that exists mainly to be photographed辦一場主要是為了被拍照的派對——that is這些就是 ostentation炫耀。

It is almost always a critic’s word. We accuse other people of it; we rarely admit to it ourselves.

It is almost always這幾乎總是 a critic's word一個評論者用的詞。We accuse other people of it我們會指責別人這樣，we rarely admit to it ourselves卻很少承認自己也是。

It feels formal and a little old-fashioned, more at home in a book or a sharp comment than in everyday chat, where people are more likely to say showing off. You can talk about ostentation of wealth or of learning; both are the same habit, just with different props.

It feels formal and a little old-fashioned它給人的感覺算正式、有點老派, more at home in a book or a sharp comment比較常出現在書本或犀利的評論裡 than in everyday chat而不是日常聊天，where在日常聊天裡 people are more likely to say showing off人們更可能直接說showing off。You can talk about你可以說 ostentation of wealth炫富 or of learning或炫學問；both are the same habit兩者其實是同一種習慣，just with different props只是道具不同。

Though actually, it is not the same as ostensible. One is a cover story. This one is a display. They share an old Latin “show”, but they took different roads.

Though actually不過其實, it is not the same as它跟 ostensibleostensible 不一樣。One is一個是 a cover story掩人耳目的說法，this one is這一個則是 a display擺出來給人看的東西。They share兩者共用 an old Latin "show"一個古老拉丁文的「show」字根, but they took different roads但後來走了不同的路。