tawdry

1 of 2

adjective

taw·​dry ˈtȯ-drē How to pronounce tawdry (audio)
ˈtä-
tawdrier; tawdriest
1
: cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality
tawdry clothing/jewels
tawdry furniture
"Well, I found myself seated in a horrid little private box … I looked out from behind the curtain and surveyed the house. It was a tawdry affair, all Cupids and cornucopias, like a third-rate wedding-cake."Oscar Wilde
Any trip there carries with it more than its share of drabness, tawdry hotels and second-rate service, all of which tax the forbearance of the most patient traveler.John F. Burns
2
: morally sordid, base, or distasteful
a tawdry scandal
a tawdry love affair
a tawdry attempt to smear his opponent
Setting aside the tawdry manner in which his marriage had (publicly) unraveled, the mayor's combative style had begun to grate on many New Yorkers.Jonathan Mahler
tawdrily adverb
tawdriness noun

tawdry

2 of 2

noun

: cheap showy finery

Did you know?

In the 7th century, Etheldreda, the queen of Northumbria, renounced her husband and her royal position in order to become a nun. She was renowned for her saintliness and is said to have died of a swelling in her throat, which she took as a judgment upon her fondness for wearing necklaces in her youth. Her shrine became a principal site of pilgrimage in England. An annual fair was held in her honor on October 17th, and her name became simplified to St. Audrey. At these fairs various kinds of cheap knickknacks were sold, along with a type of necklace called St. Audrey's lace, which by the 16th century had become altered to tawdry lace. Eventually, tawdry came to be used to describe anything cheap and gaudy that might be found at these fairs or anywhere else.

Choose the Right Synonym for tawdry

gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious mean vulgarly or cheaply showy.

gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

Examples of tawdry in a Sentence

Adjective The scandal was a tawdry affair.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. Steve Weisman, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 Donahue’s popularity at that point had been far outpaced by Springer’s more tawdry brand. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2024 Those who do celebrate its tawdry twists and turns, however, are assured to have a good time. Courtney Howard, Variety, 26 July 2024 Suddenly the guy who used to describe Trump as a dangerous and tawdry charlatan was telling anyone who’d listen that Trump was the only person fit to lead this country. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for tawdry 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tawdry.' 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

Adjective

tawdry lace a tie of lace for the neck, from St. Audrey (St. Etheldreda) †679 queen of Northumbria

First Known Use

Adjective

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tawdry was in 1655

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Dictionary Entries Near tawdry

Cite this Entry

“Tawdry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tawdry. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

tawdry

adjective
taw·​dry
ˈtȯd-rē,
ˈtäd-
tawdrier; tawdriest
: cheap and showy
tawdrily
-rə-lē
adverb
tawdriness
-rē-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tawdry

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