What does opulent mean?
Word: Opulent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Opulent means very rich and grand, filled or decorated with expensive things.
How do you spell opulent?
Syllables: op - u - lent
Tricky part: The ending is -ent, not -ant. Opulant is the slip examiners see most often.
Watch out for: opulant, opulunt
Memory tip: Opulent and excellent end the same way: an opulent palace is excellent to look at.
Opulent in a sentence
Example 1: Visitors to the palace museum walk through opulent rooms with painted ceilings.
Example 2: The theatre's opulent red curtains have hung there for more than a century.
Example 3: Nora's grandparents stayed in an opulent cruise cabin with a private balcony.
Fun Fact
The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France, lined with 357 mirrors, is often held up as an example of opulent design.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The film showed an oppulent hotel lobby with marble floors, velvet sofas and crystal chandeliers.
a) only chandeliers
b) velvet and marble
c) only oppulent
d) oppulent and chandeliers
Show answer
c) only oppulent. The grand word needs just one p; chandeliers, velvet and marble are all spelt correctly.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks do you get?
opolent, graceful, splendid, magnificent, elegent
a) 4
b) 8
c) 10
d) 6
Show answer
d) 6. Graceful, splendid and magnificent are right, giving 6 marks; the grand word has a u, not an o, in its middle, and elegant ends in -ant.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. opulent 2. hasty 3. tidy a. hurried b. luxurious c. neat
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Each word has a partner with almost the same meaning: opulent and luxurious, hasty and hurried, tidy and neat.
Word Champ
Read the three statements and choose the correct option:
1. A bare hut with one plastic chair is a fine example of an opulent room. 2. An opulent hotel suite might have silk curtains and gold taps. 3. A royal coach covered in gold leaf could fairly be called opulent.
a) only 1 is correct
b) only 2 and 3 are correct
c) only 1 and 3 are correct
d) all three are correct
Show answer
b) only 2 and 3 are correct. Silk curtains, gold taps and gold leaf are costly and grand, but a bare hut is the opposite.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which word is the opposite of opulent?
a) loud
b) plain
c) eager
d) proud
Show answer
b) plain
2. Opulent comes from a Latin word meaning ___.
a) music
b) wealth
c) water
d) light
Show answer
b) wealth
