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

This anxiety takes the physical form of a garish yellow raincoat that seemingly only Rika can see, providing a protective layer between herself and others. —Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026

The initial teaser for the trailer went big on '80s nostalgia, which means big CRT TVs, garish leotards, and Technicolor breakfast cereal. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026

Kavakos made the music sound more Russian, its darker textures given extra weight, brighter colors rendered more garish. —Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026

In some neighborhoods, nearly every building is an architectural extravaganza—one neck-​craning luxury tower after the next gleaming in the broiling desert sun, some garish, others elegantly avant-​garde. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 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