McMansion
Oversized cookie-cutter home
A McMansion is a large, mass-produced suburban house characterized by ostentatious size, a mishmash of architectural styles, and cheap construction despite its expense.
The term is disparaging, combining McDonald's (suggesting cookie-cutter uniformity) with mansion.
McMansions often feature oversized entryways, multiple roof lines that don't cohere, and generic luxury details: The subdivision filled up with McMansions in the early 2000s.
The word critiques a particular kind of American excess—houses built to impress rather than to last or to reflect genuine design.
Extend in disorderly fashion
- cookie-cutterMold for baked treats
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
- tract housingStandardized residential development
- cul-de-sacStreet closed at end
development · homeowners association · gated community · master-planned · exurb · bedroom community · commuter · zoning
Vulgar or slightly sticky
- gaudyTastelessly ornate
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- kitschTasteless, garish art
- flashyShowy, often tastelessly so
showy · grandiose · garish · ostentatious · overwrought · tasteless · vulgar · faux
Protruding fortified structure
- columnsUpright structural shafts
- great roomOpen-plan central living space
- vaulted ceilingArched overhead interior surface
- porticoColumned covered entryway
oversized · asymmetrical · roofline · dormers · brick veneer · stucco · vinyl siding · faux stone
Abundance of valuable resources
- nouveau richeRecently wealthy, often showy
- prosperityGood fortune, success
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
- upwardly mobileRising in social class
materialism · conspicuous consumption · equity · investment · keeping up with the Joneses · status-seeking · social climbing · upper middle class
Engineered wood from compressed chips
- drywallGypsum-core building panels
- mass-producedMade in large quantities
- spec homeHome built without buyer
- prefabPre-assembled building
developer · flipping · resale · depreciation
sprawl
Extend in disorderly fashion
- cookie-cutterMold for baked treats
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
- tract housingStandardized residential development
cul-de-sac · development · homeowners association · gated community · master-planned · exurb · bedroom community · commuter · zoning · Levittown
tacky
Vulgar or slightly sticky
- gaudyTastelessly ornate
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- kitschTasteless, garish art
flashy · showy · grandiose · garish · ostentatious · overwrought · tasteless · vulgar · faux · ornate
turret
Protruding fortified structure
- columnsUpright structural shafts
- great roomOpen-plan central living space
- vaulted ceilingArched overhead interior surface
portico · oversized · asymmetrical · roofline · dormers · brick veneer · stucco · vinyl siding · faux stone · facade
wealth
Abundance of valuable resources
- nouveau richeRecently wealthy, often showy
- prosperityGood fortune, success
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
upwardly mobile · materialism · conspicuous consumption · equity · investment · keeping up with the Joneses · status-seeking · social climbing · upper middle class · aspirational
particle board
Engineered wood from compressed chips
- drywallGypsum-core building panels
- mass-producedMade in large quantities
- spec homeHome built without buyer
prefab · developer · flipping · resale · depreciation
- American housesranch, bungalow, colonial, Cape Cod, farmhouse
- houseshouse, home, bungalow, ranch, colonial
- suburbiasuburb, suburbs, suburbia, burbs, subdivision
- housing crisishousing bubble, housing crash, subprime mortgages, foreclosures, subprime loans
- urban sprawlsprawl, suburbanization, suburbs, subdivisions, tract housing
- Cookie-Cuttertemplate, mold, clone, copycat, carbon copy
McMansioncraftsman bungalow
Low-slung early 20th-century home
historic home · brownstone · mid-century modern · heritage home · antebellum mansion
McMansiontiny house
Minimalist compact residence
cottage · bungalow · cabin · starter home · shotgun house
McMansionunderstated elegance
Sophisticated style without excess
minimalist home · earthship · off-grid cabin · public housing · tenement