Ron Miller
Did you know?
Have you ever browsed through a flea market or thrift shop? If so, chances are you’re well-acquainted with kitsch, the various bits and bobs of popular culture—fuzzy dice, plastic flamingos, cartoon-themed plastic lunchboxes, etc.—that enjoy widespread popularity but don’t hold much cultural esteem. Or maybe you’re a fan of (what some might call) cheesy movies—action movies and rom-coms that score big at the box office but are panned by critics—kitsch often applies to them, too, as well as to “lowbrow” art of all kinds. English users borrowed kitsch in the early 20th century from German; according to scholars the word was popularized by Munich painters and art dealers in the 1860s and 1870s who used it to refer to popular and cheap artwork. The word’s earlier origins are found in the German verb kitschen, meaning “to slap something (such as a work of art) together” as well as “to scrape up mud from the street.” Despite these muddy origins and the disapproving tone with which kitsch is often deployed, kitsch is not quite the “dirty” word it once was—kitsch today is as likely to be celebrated as it is to be derided.
Examples of kitsch in a Sentence
Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
The desert escape two hours west of the city is perhaps best known for the mid-century kitsch of Palm Springs, where rat-pack royalty like Sinatra and Bob Hope, and even a true king--the one and only Elvis Presley–maintained homes away from home.
—David Weiss, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Such an approach is an important current within literary criticism, and a tonic against our book culture’s reflexive humanism, which can become its own kind of kitsch.
—Charles Finch, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
For now, the pieces on display tell a story of dining that goes beyond pure novelty and kitsch to celebrate innovation, design evolution, and artistic influences across centuries and cultures.
—Anna Hezel, Curbed, 1 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for kitsch
Cite this Entry
“Kitsch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitsch. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share