gaudy

play

adjective gau·dy \ ˈgȯ-dē , ˈgä- \

Definition of gaudy

gaudier; gaudiest

1 :ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented

gaudy costumes

2 :marked by extravagance or sometimes tasteless showiness :outlandish

gaudy lies

gaudy claims

; also :exceptional

a gaudy batting average

—

gaudily

play \ˈgȯ-də-lē, ˈgä-\ adverb

—

gaudiness

play \ˈgȯ-dē-nəs, ˈgä-\ noun

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Examples of gaudy in a Sentence

The showgirls wore gaudy costumes.
They bought the house for a gaudy sum.

Recent Examples of gaudy from the Web

Kick returner Allen Rossum (1994-97) A defensive back, Rossum returned three punts for scores as a junior, averaging a gaudy 22.9 yards a return.

— matthew glenesk, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame football's IndyStar Silver Anniversary team," 26 Aug. 2017
Giant live oak trees on St. Charles are transformed into bead trees during Mardi Gras, like old ladies with a penchant for gaudy jewelry.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "St. Charles Avenue: Vintage photos from The Times-Picayune archives," 21 Aug. 2017
Each of the past three seasons, Wellington has had a senior quarterback step into the starting role and put up gaudy passing numbers in their first season running the offense.

— wells dusenbury, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Rogers looking to continue trend of Wellington standout quarterbacks," 9 Aug. 2017
But among all those victories and gaudy numbers, there was still time for players to develop their own skills.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Oilmen's competitive nature pays off with best season in team history," 6 Aug. 2017
Not even a gaudy monument to late capitalism that masquerades as children’s entertainment — a film that bends over backwards to teach your kids that true happiness is always just an app away — can measure up to what’s happening off-screen.

— laura beck, Cosmopolitan, "The Most Savage (and Painfully Hilarious) The Emoji Movie Reviews," 29 July 2017
The unapologetically gaudy, eccentric pieces quickly became Mr. Lane’s calling card.

— bridget reed morawski, Washington Post, "Kenneth Jay Lane, popular designer known for replications of priceless gems, dies at 85," 27 July 2017
Person of interest is an overweight man of approximately 70 years of age with orange hair who was reported to be repeatedly riding up and down the escalators in a gaudy midtown Manhattan skyscraper.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "The President’s Views of Science Are Not Based in Reality," 24 July 2017
Here was one of the greatest novels ever written in English, implicatively categorized with the gaudy trade paperbacks on sale at your local ShopRite.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "Colin Firth's Shirt: Jane Austen and the Rise of the Female Gaze," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gaudy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gaudy

gaud + ¹-y

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1582

See Words from the same year

gaudy Synonyms

Synonyms

flamboyant, flaring, flashy, garish, glitzy, loud, noisy, ostentatious, razzle-dazzle, splashy, swank (or swanky)

Antonyms

conservative, quiet, understated, unflamboyant, unflashy

Related Words

excessive, extravagant, fulsome, hammy, overdone, over-the-top, overwrought; pretentious; baroque, bedizened, ornate; fancy, snazzy, zooty; blaring, bright, florid, glaring, glittery, overbright, spectacular; graceless, inelegant, lurid, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, tinselly, vulgar

Near Antonyms

appropriate, fitting, proper; inconspicuous, muted, restrained, subdued, toned (down), unobtrusive; elegant, graceful, tasteful; modest, plain, simple, unpretentious

Synonym Discussion of gaudy

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

gaudy

noun

Definition of gaudy

plural gaudies

:a feast or entertainment especially in the form of an annual college dinner at a British university

Recent Examples of gaudy from the Web

Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters are dressed in gaudy, poofy dresses that complement the obnoxiousness of their characters.

— Orange County Register, "Corona del Mar offers an enchanting ‘Into the Woods’," 7 Apr. 2017
Rip Taylor Only in Chuck Barris' twisted ecosystem could a gaudy, confetti-throwing Rip Taylor have flourished.

— dave holmes, Esquire, "6 Things We Wouldn't Have If Not For Chuck Barris," 22 Mar. 2017
To someone for whom Miami is the gaudy, palm-tree-and-Art-Deco opulence of South Beach, the poverty of the Liberty City neighborhood, and its Liberty Square public housing projects, would be jarring.

— nikole hannah-jones, New York Times, "From Bittersweet Childhoods to ‘Moonlight’," 4 Jan. 2017