Definition of tawdry
tawdrier
;tawdriest
: cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality; also : ignoble a tawdry attempt to smear his opponent
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Examples of tawdry in a Sentence
The scandal was a tawdry affair.
Recent Examples of tawdry from the Web
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But this tawdry tweet points to a much more dangerous consequence of Trump's war on much of the media.
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These tawdry events have disturbed at least one of United’s institutional shareholders: the City of Tamarac, Fla., Firefighters Pension Trust Fund.
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The same mailer makes the tawdry, misleading attack on DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilman who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014.
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When Eric was still in grammar school his father helped fuel a sex scandal that ended his marriage to Ivana Trump by leaking tidbits to reporters, who made the tawdry details of an affair public.
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And a new movie on the whole tawdry business is underway.
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It’s sophisticated filmmaking in service of a tawdry plot, which is a welcome tone amid the festival’s particularly self-serious lineup this year—why not have a little fun along with the fanciness?
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Spotting one celebrity in the parking lot of a Hollywood Boulevard motel seems tawdry, but a dozen or more feels downright fashionable.
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A subplot focuses on the love story between Tommy and his future wife, Meg (Ophelia Lovibond), a scullery maid with something of a tawdry past.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tawdry'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In the 7th century, Etheldreda, the queen of Northumbria, renounced her husband and her royal position for the veil of a nun. She was renowned for her saintliness and is traditionally said to have died of a swelling in her throat, which she took as a judgment upon her fondness for wearing necklaces in her youth. Her shrine became a principal site of pilgrimage in England. An annual fair was held in her honor on October 17th, and her name became simplified to St. Audrey. At these fairs various kinds of cheap knickknacks were sold, along with a type of necklace called St. Audrey's lace, which by the 17th century had become altered to tawdry lace. Eventually, tawdry came to be used to describe anything cheap and gaudy that might be found at these fairs or anywhere else.
Origin and Etymology of tawdry
tawdry lace a tie of lace for the neck, from St. Audrey (St. Etheldreda) †679 queen of Northumbria
Synonym Discussion of tawdry
tawdry
Definition of tawdry
: cheap showy finery
First Known Use of tawdry
circa 1680
TAWDRY Defined for English Language Learners
tawdry
playDefinition of tawdry for English Language Learners
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: having a cheap and ugly appearance
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: morally low or bad
Learn More about tawdry
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See words that rhyme with tawdry Spanish Central: Translation of tawdry Nglish: Translation of tawdry for Spanish speakers
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