kitsch

noun

1
: something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality
2
: a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition
teetering on the brink of kitschRon Miller
kitschy adjective

Did you know?

Kitsch is an early 20th-century borrowing from German, and it refers to things in the realm of popular culture that are tacky, like car mirror dice, plastic flamingos, and dashboard hula dancers.

Examples of kitsch in a Sentence

The restaurant is decorated with 1950s furniture and kitsch from old TV shows.
Recent Examples on the Web In the script, the characters talk about that fine line between authenticity and kitsch that can only be achieved when everything is balanced just right, so that the work of art is true to the artist’s vision but simple and clear enough that an audience can easily comprehend it. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 The place is typical small-town bar kitsch, with dollar bills stuck to the ceiling and mounted elk and deer heads. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 Of the nearly three million who left Eastern Europe by the early Twenties, some seventy thousand went to Palestine while more than two million went to America, where, so Zionists thought, they’d be stuck in a vanishing religious practice and, ultimately, in nostalgia and kitsch. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 The decorations Just give in to the kitsch of the holiday season. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2023 This type of decor often photographs beautifully yet in person can come off as kitsch. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2024 With voluminous hair and a sparkly outfit, Cyrus’ performance aimed for the charmingly over-the-top glitz of godmother Dolly Parton, but the vibe was more sweaty Vegas spectacle than ’80s rhinestone kitsch. Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 5 Feb. 2024 The Canadian athleisure brand just unveiled a basketball game that eschews garish colors and kitsch branding in favor of an elegant, minimalist design. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2024 Today, just 40 years after its discovery, the fractal has become a cliché, borderline kitsch. Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kitsch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

German

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kitsch was in 1921

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Dictionary Entries Near kitsch

Cite this Entry

“Kitsch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitsch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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