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