Matthew Steeples bemoans the overuse of the word “luxury”
You can’t get away from it: “Luxury” is everywhere. Be it a luxury goods brand, a luxury hotel or a luxury loo roll, everyone’s at it.
Luxury used to mean “a treat” or something “lavish”. It was the preserve of the affluent and associated with quality. Now it’s applied to just about anything. You can’t open a magazine without hearing about it and our screens are peppered with it. Estate agents, well known for their misuse of the English language, fill their brochures with it and “mass luxury” is just about as common as the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Luxury has indeed lost its meaning. It now represents more of an overinflated promise than an accurate description. It should be used more sparingly. Let’s cut it from our vocabulary.