Return to the home page.

Expand/collapse menu.

Visit Our Sites

Unabridged Dictionary

Learner's Dictionary

Word Central for Kids

Collegiate Dictionary

Expand/collapse menu.

Premium Services

Unabridged Dictionary

Collegiate Dictionary

Encyclopedia Britannica

Institutional Subscriptions

Expand/collapse menu.

Expand/collapse menu.

Word of the Day

Subscriber Help

Expand/collapse menu.

More Word Games

Daily Crosswords

Expand/collapse menu.

Open Dictionary

Alphabetical Browse

Browse Categories

Submit an Entry

Expand/collapse menu.

Spelling Bee Hive

Hive Headquarters

Spelling Champion

Spelling Reform

Expand/collapse menu.

Word for the Wise

Today's Broadcast

Expand/collapse menu.

Books and CD-Roms

Online Services

Palm and Pocket PC

Expand/collapse menu.

Looking Up a Word

Citing the Dictionary

Audio Pronunciations

Word Games Help

Expand/collapse menu.

Merriam-Webster FAQ

Advertising Info

Copyright Notice

Also Visit:
Unabridged

Visual
ESL:
Learner's
for Kids:
Spell It!
Word Central

meretricious

Browse the Dictionary:: A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z; #

meretricious

Main Entry:: mer·e·tri·cious
Pronunciation:: \ˌmer-ə-ˈtri-shəs\
Function:: adjective
Etymology:: Latin meretricius, from meretric-, meretrix prostitute, from merēre to earn — more at merit
Date:: 1626

1: of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution <meretricious relationships>2 a: tawdrily and falsely attractive <the paradise they found was a piece of meretricious trash — Carolyn See> b: superficially significant : pretentious <scholarly names to provide fig-leaves of respectability for meretricious but stylish books — Times Literary Supplement>

synonyms see gaudy

— mer·e·tri·cious·ly adverb

— mer·e·tri·cious·ness noun

Learn more about "meretricious" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "meretricious" in the Visual Thesaurus

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols