scrumptious

adjective

scrump·​tious ˈskrəm(p)-shəs How to pronounce scrumptious (audio)
informal
: delightful, excellent
"Whew! What a place! …" said Stalky, filling himself a pipe. "Isn't it scrumptious? …"Rudyard Kipling
She has curly red hair and big jolly brown eyes and scrumptious freckles.Lucy Maud Montgomery
[Liz] Robbins … has packed her book with scrumptious details.Benjamin Cheever
especially : delicious
We were offered such goodies as five styles of eggs, bacon, … and scrumptious pastries. Dick Bradley
This inviting farmstead and restaurant is known for its scrumptious apple dishes … Parenting
scrumptiously adverb
Standard menu fare includes scrumptiously fluffy eggplant clouds … Shira Feder
… a scrumptiously filthy guitar solo burning with taut tones. Randall Radic
scrumptiousness noun
… [the recipes] lack the extra touch, the extra effort to lift them to scrumptiousness. Cook's Magazine

Did you know?

First appearing in English in the early 1800s, scrumptious is a mouth-watering word that is used to describe things delightful and delectable. It may have originated as an alteration of sumptuous, carrying the elegant connotations of its parent, though this is not certain. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a dialect form of the word used to mean “cheap, stingy” as its earliest use, and posits that it could instead have been formed by combining the verb scrimp, meaning “to be frugal or stingy,” with the adjective suffix -ious. (Scrimption meaning “a tiny amount or pittance” could be a relation.) How could a word with such a meaning lead to the wholly positive scrumptious? The OED points to a similar path taken by the word nice, which began as a word meaning “wanton or lacking restraint” and is now, well, nice. Regardless, scrumptious today is a fun word to say and play around with, a fact apparent to British author Roald Dahl who used the variation scrumdiddlyumptious in his novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Examples of scrumptious in a Sentence

baked a scrumptious chocolate cake
Recent Examples on the Web This scrumptious dessert features layers of fluffy vanilla pudding and softened graham crackers tucked under a canopy of fudgy chocolate ganache. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2024 Beyond the scrumptious food, there is a sense of community as people come together to share a meal. Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 Dry-brining, the less messy method, draws the natural moisture of the bird to the surface for a crackly, crispy skin and flavorful, juicy meat, creating a scrumptious turkey that will have your guests begging for the recipe. Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2023 Here, minty frosting and a chocolate Hershey’s Kiss sit atop a chocolate cupcake in our scrumptious St. Patrick’s Day dessert. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024 Swamp Snacks: Families can feast like an ogre at this new kiosk, which will serve scrumptious snacks inspired by Shrek, including Shrekzel, Far Far A Waffle, Frozen Ogre, and more. EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Servings: 15 This white Texas sheet cake is the scrumptious counterpart to the classic chocolate cake of a similar name. Micah A Leal, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024 Residents love the Indian fare at Taj Mahal, the meatballs at Jovito’s, scrumptious stir fry and noodle dishes at Waldo Thai and slices at the ever-popular Waldo Pizza, all located along Wornall Road. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Sweeten your Valentine's Day with a scrumptious, romantic, or heart-shape dessert recipe. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scrumptious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of sumptuous

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrumptious was in 1830

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near scrumptious

Cite this Entry

“Scrumptious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrumptious. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scrumptious

adjective
scrump·​tious ˈskrəm(p)-shəs How to pronounce scrumptious (audio)
: delightful, excellent
especially : delicious
scrumptiously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on scrumptious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!