posh

posh — adjective

1. describing a place or object that looks very elegant and costs far more than ord

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a place or object that looks very elegant and costs far more than ordinary things of its kind.

Example

Charlotte booked a table at the most posh hotel in Bath for her anniversary dinner.

collocation: posh hotel / posh restaurant

The boutique on King's Road sells posh handbags that cost more than a month's rent.

Common collocations
  • posh hotel
  • posh restaurant
  • posh area
  • posh neighbourhood
  • posh flat
  • posh car
  • posh clothes
  • posh wedding
  • really posh
  • quite posh
Synonyms
  • fancy

    more informal; can be used for any attractive or decorative thing, not necessarily very expensive

  • luxurious

    stronger emphasis on comfort and richness; less social-class connotation than posh

  • classy

    focuses on style and taste rather than pure expense; often approving

Antonyms
  • cheap

    suggests low cost and often low quality

  • shabby

    suggests worn, untidy, or in poor condition

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe restaurants, hotels, shops, apartments, and neighbourhoods. Carries a slightly admiring tone, though it can also imply disapproval if the speaker thinks the thing is too expensive for what it offers.

Common Mistakes

This is a posh-made bag.
This is a posh bag.
'posh' is not used with a hyphen before the past participle of a verb; it directly modifies the noun.
She wore a posh dress to the party.' (when you mean 'formal' or 'fancy')
She wore an elegant evening gown to the party.
'posh' suggests high cost and luxury, not just formality.

2. used to say that a person belongs to the wealthy upper levels of society, or tha

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

used to say that a person belongs to the wealthy upper levels of society, or that their way of speaking or behaving suggests such a background.

Example

Darius had a posh accent, as if he had grown up in a castle.

collocation: posh accent

The new maths teacher came from a very posh family and never talked about his childhood.

Common collocations
  • posh accent
  • posh family
  • posh voice
  • posh school
  • posh upbringing
  • posh manner
  • very posh
  • quite posh
  • so posh
Synonyms
  • upper-class

    more formal and factual; describes social class without the emotional tone of posh

  • aristocratic

    specifically refers to nobility or titled families; more formal and narrower in meaning

  • refined

    focuses on polished, well-educated manners; positive tone

Antonyms
  • common

    in British English, this can mean 'ordinary' or 'low-class' — but can sound offensive

  • working-class

    neutral factual description of social class

Usage Note

Can sound mildly critical or envious depending on context. Frequently describes accents, families, schools, and upbringing. The superlative 'poshest' is common in informal British speech.

Common Mistakes

He is a posh.
He is posh.' or 'He comes from a posh family.
'posh' is an adjective, not a noun describing a person.

3. a British informal expression used to describe a well-off woman who chooses to g

3.adjective
Definition

a British informal expression used to describe a well-off woman who chooses to give birth by a planned caesarean operation rather than through natural labour; often used in the phrase 'too posh to push'.

Example

The newspaper article criticised celebrities who are 'too posh to push' and choose planned caesareans.

fixed phrase: too posh to push

Adaeze laughed when her friends called her too posh to push after she booked a C-section.

Common collocations
  • too posh to push
  • elective caesarean
  • planned C-section

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'too posh to push', which many people consider a media stereotype. The expression is informal and can be seen as dismissive or judgemental toward women who have caesarean sections.

Common Mistakes

She is too posh to push a car.
The phrase only applies to choosing a caesarean birth, not to avoiding any other physical effort.

posh — adverb

Word family

  • poshly
    adverb
  • poshness
    noun
  • posher
    adjectiveB2
  • poshest
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Posh, fancy, luxurious, and classy all describe things that are above ordinary quality, but they differ in tone and scope. Posh is the most British of the four and carries a strong social-class overtone — a posh hotel is not just expensive but the kind of place where you feel you need to dress up. Fancy is more casual and can apply to anything with extra decoration or appeal, from a fancy dress to a fancy coffee drink; it does not necessarily mean expensive. Luxurious focuses on comfort and indulgence: soft carpets, silk sheets, and room service. Classy emphasises style and good taste over pure cost — charity-shop clothes can be classy but rarely posh. In practice, a British speaker might say 'a posh restaurant' to hint at the kind of people who eat there, while 'a luxurious restaurant' describes the armchairs and the lighting.

fancy ↗luxurious ↗classy

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

unknown originEnglish

The origin of 'posh' is not known for certain. The most popular story claims it comes from the initials of 'Port Out, Starboard Home' — the cooler, shaded side of a ship on the Britain–India route, supposedly stamped on tickets for wealthy passengers. However, no historical tickets with those initials have ever been found. The first recorded use of 'posh' to mean 'smart, stylish' dates from 1914, and it probably originated as thieves' cant (slang) before entering mainstream British English. By the mid-20th century it was firmly associated with the upper classes.