gaudy

1 of 2

adjective

gau·​dy ˈgȯ-dē 

ˈgä-

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

ˈgȯ-də-lē 

ˈgä-

adverb

gaudiness

ˈgȯ-dē-nəs 

ˈgä-

noun

gaudy

2 of 2

noun

plural gaudies

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• flamboyant
• flaring
• flashy
• garish
• glitzy
• loud
• noisy
• ostentatious
• razzle-dazzle
• splashy
• swank
• swanky

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

Adjective

The women are often gaudy in the short, tight, adolescent garb that some salesperson has foisted upon them, and their gray hair is bobbed. —Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024

The Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl 58 championship ring is their gaudiest yet. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 14 June 2024

More than anything, the pummeling performance served as a gaudy commercial for Las Vegas’ $2 billion music venue The Sphere, with swooping drone footage and enough quick cuts to give you motion sickness. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024

The show, which initially centered on a group of servers and bartenders working at Lisa Vanderpump’s gaudy West Hollywood restaurants, has always seen its cast struggle to make ends meet. —Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

gaud + -y entry 1

Noun

probably from Latin gaudium joy — more at joy

First Known Use

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gaudy

adjective

ˈgȯd-ē,

ˈgäd-

gaudier; gaudiest

: overly or tastelessly ornamented

gaudily

ˈgȯd-ᵊl-ē

ˈgäd-

adverb

gaudiness

-ēnəs

noun