A sybarite is a person who enjoys indulging in life’s pleasures and luxuries, including sensual pleasures.
The term also refers to people who hail from the ancient Greek colony of Sybaris, located in the south of Italy. These people had a reputation for hedonism.
The term entered modern parlance somewhere between 1550 and 1600. It is not commonly used today.
The historic people known as the Sybarites may not be around today, but their reputation for seeking pleasure and luxury lives on in the term sybarite. Anyone of any nationality who enjoys indulging in sensual and material pleasures can be referred to as a sybarite.
Sybaritism describes the love of luxury and sensuality that sybarites enjoy. Sybarites might enjoy champagne, fine food, and high-end clothing. They may seek out relationships, drawn to the sex and affection rather than more practical, less sensual perks like companionship and shared finances. These relationships may be short-term or long-term, whatever gives the sybarite more pleasure.
Sybarites are seen as self-indulgent, caring more about their own pleasure than others around them.
