adjective
tawdry
TAW-dree/ˈtɔːdri/
Cheaply showy and lacking good taste.
The gift shop sells tawdry jewelry covered in fake gems.
Etymology
St. Audrey's lace was a neck ribbon sold at a fair honoring the saint. Such ornaments came to represent cheap finery, giving tawdry its sense of showiness without good taste.
In context
… replacing it with with cheap and tawdry things that will leave us empty and without satisfaction …
More examples
- The shiny plastic trim makes the costume look tawdry.
- She replaces the tawdry decorations with simple paper lanterns.
- Adding more glitter only makes the display tawdrier.
Forms
tawdry · tawdrier · tawdriest
tawdriness noun — The quality of being cheaply showy.
tawdrily adverb — In a cheaply showy, tasteless way.
Similar words
- gaudy
- Emphasizes excessive brightness or decoration, not necessarily cheapness.
- garish
- Stresses harsh, clashing colors or an unpleasant visual effect.
- tacky
- Means generally tasteless or cheap, without necessarily being showy.