Definition of gimcrack
:a showy object of little use or value :gewgaw
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Examples of gimcrack in a Sentence
a remarkable amount of money is spent on gimcracks and other unnecessary items each year
that woman has enough gimcracks to fill up a novelty company's mail-order catalog
Recent Examples of gimcrack from the Web
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The designer Vicki Mortimer has created a set that feels like a gimcrack warehouse, full of old ladders and lights and puppet-stage-like window frames.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gimcrack.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Gimcrack is only one of many peculiar-sounding words that have pervaded our language to refer to something ornamental and of little value. Others include bauble, trinket, knickknack, gewgaw, kickshaw and tchotchke. Bauble appears to be the oldest among the group, with usage dating back to the 14th century. Gewgaw and kickshaw first appeared in the 16th century, whereas gimcrack and knickknack established themselves in the 17th century. Tchotchke, borrowed from the Yiddish, is by far the most recent addition to our language, only first appearing as an English word in the 1970s.
Origin and Etymology of gimcrack
gimcrack Synonyms
Synonyms
bauble, bibelot, curio, curiosity, doodad, gaud, gewgaw (also geegaw), knickknack, kickshaw, novelty, ornamental, tchotchke, trinketRelated Words
bijouterie, bric-a-brac, gimcrackery, trinketry, trumpery, virtu (or vertu); bagatelle, trifle; figurine, objet d'art (also objet), ornament; keepsake, memento, souvenir; conversation piece; collectible (or collectable), collector's itemExamples of gimcrack in a Sentence
a store plastered with “going out of business” signs and notorious for selling gimcrack merchandise
First Known Use of gimcrack
1715
gimcrack Synonyms
Synonyms
bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy [slang], cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, cheap, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock (or schlocky also shlock or shlocky), second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretchedAntonyms
excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notchRelated Words
useless, valueless, worthless; indifferent, lackluster, second-class; brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank (or swanky), tawdry; seedy, shabby, tacky; counterfeit, fake, phony (also phoney), sham; supercheap, ultracheapNear Antonyms
elegant, handsome, tasteful; handcrafted, polished, refinedLearn More about gimcrack
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