gaudier; gaudiest
1
: ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented
gaudy costumes
2
: marked by extravagance or sometimes tasteless showiness : outlandish
gaudy lies
gaudy claims
plural gaudies
: a feast or entertainment especially in the form of an annual college dinner at a British university
Examples of gaudy in a Sentence
Adjective
The showgirls wore gaudy costumes.
They bought the house for a gaudy sum.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
The smart shopper will already note signs of staleness and mold in the old practice of a singer in stiff white tie and tails or gaudy gown, standing, arm propped on piano, of the second banana accompanist.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
What’s interesting is most Thunder players have excellent defensive ratings, whereas Gobert’s gaudy number is a contrast from his other high-profile teammates.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Jan. 2026
The gaudy scores have become the norm for Malinin, and the start of his Michael Jordan-esque run largely coincides with when he was left off the Winter Olympics roster for the 2022 Beijing Games.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaudy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Trump’s entire doctrine is naked rapacity, from Venezuela to hijacking the Kennedy Center to hideously remaking the White House in his own gaudy image.
—Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
The smart shopper will already note signs of staleness and mold in the old practice of a singer in stiff white tie and tails or gaudy gown, standing, arm propped on piano, of the second banana accompanist.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
What’s interesting is most Thunder players have excellent defensive ratings, whereas Gobert’s gaudy number is a contrast from his other high-profile teammates.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Jan. 2026
The gaudy scores have become the norm for Malinin, and the start of his Michael Jordan-esque run largely coincides with when he was left off the Winter Olympics roster for the 2022 Beijing Games.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaudy
Cite this Entry
“Gaudy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaudy. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
