sybarite

/ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/

//ˈsɪbəɹaɪt// noun

"sybarite" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sybarite” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a hedonist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sybarite · sybarite · English

sybarite · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for sybarite
PropertyValue
Headwordsybarite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sybarite” in English

sybariteranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sybarite is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a hedonist.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for sybarite, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin Sybarīta + English -ite (suffix forming demonyms). Sybarīta is derived from Ancient Greek Σῠβᾰρῑ́της (Sŭbărī́tēs, “(noun) inhabitant of Sybaris; (adjective) decadent; self-indulgent”), from Σῠ́βᾰρῐς (Sŭ́bărĭs, “Syb… The correct English form is sybarite, spelled S-Y-B-A-R-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a hedonist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sybarite appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Although the proud lord clothed himself // In purple robes and gem-stones white, // Yet Nero grew to all men’s hate // A wild and cruel sybarite.
  2. Lisa (Sian Breckin), the blondest and wildest of the women; Kim (Jamie Winstone), who is ready and willing; and Tammi (Nichola Burley), the most reluctant sybarite, are from Leeds.

Etymology

The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin Sybarīta + English -ite (suffix forming demonyms). Sybarīta is derived from Ancient Greek Σῠβᾰρῑ́της (Sŭbărī́tēs, “(noun) inhabitant of Sybaris; (adjective) decadent; self-indulgent”), from Σῠ́βᾰρῐς (Sŭ́bărĭs, “Sybaris”) + -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs, suffix forming demonyms)). Sybaris, a city of Magna Graecia (the coastal parts of Sicily and southern Italy once colonized by Greek settlers), was known for its wealth and the excesses and hedonism of its inhabitants. The adjective is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sybarite"?
"sybarite" is spelled S-Y-B-A-R-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/.
What does "sybarite" mean?
As a noun, "sybarite" means: A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a hedonist.
How do you pronounce "sybarite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sybarite" is /ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "sybarite"?
The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin Sybarīta + English -ite (suffix forming demonyms). Sybarīta is derived from Ancient Greek Σῠβᾰρῑ́της (Sŭbărī́tēs, “(noun) inhabitant of Sybaris; (adjective) decadent; self-indulgent”), from Σῠ́βᾰρῐς (Sŭ́b... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list