garish

adjective

gar·​ish ˈger-ish 

1

: clothed in vivid colors

a garish clown

2

a

: excessively or disturbingly vivid

garish colors

garish imagery

b

: offensively or distressingly bright : glaring

3

: tastelessly showy : flashy

garish neon signs

garishly adverb

garishness noun

Synonyms of garish

• loud
• noisy
• gaudy

Choose the Right Synonym for garish

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 garish in a Sentence

the wedding guest's thick makeup was garish and unnecessary

Recent Examples on the Web

As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Bad Faux Foliage Overly bright fall foliage made from plastic or other unsustainable materials can look garish and off-putting. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 10 Sep. 2026

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Target’s promotional ads featured a Black boy modeling the garish get-up. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Not a garish pink or bold red, but a warmer tone, a perfect mauve-y pink. — Ashley Woo, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for garish

• bearish
• cherish
• farish
• perish
• squarish
• nightmarish

Kids Definition

garish

adjective

gar·​ish ˈga(ə)r-ish 

ˈge(ə)r-

: too bright or showy : gaudy

garishly adverb

garishness noun