bedaubed 1 of 2

adjective

as in gaudy

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bedaubed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of bedaub
as in smeared
to rub an oily or sticky substance over the toddler delightedly bedaubed herself with her mother's makeup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedaubed
  1. gaudy
  2. smeared
  3. garish
  4. painted
  5. showy
  6. coated
  7. tawdry
  8. swank
Adjective
  • The subsidy headlined a gaudy incentive package offering property and sales tax exemptions, discount electricity and payments for infrastructure in exchange for about 9,000 jobs.
    — Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Those bulbs are dormant now, so shop for and plant bugle lilies, species gladiolas (a million times better than gaudy, fancy hybrid gladiolus), native mariposa lilies, baboon flower, and more.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of gaudy
Verb
  • In 2012 an angler pulled a brown bullhead out of a lake on the Vermont-Quebec border with what looked like tar smeared across its skin.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • The women went to the bathroom to mop the bottoms of their eyes, where their makeup was smeared from crying.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of smeared
Adjective
  • Our test car’s blue-and-silver two-tone finish was striking without becoming garish, though subtlety is always relative when the hood stretches this far and the grille resembles the entrance to a private bank.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Once, plastic surgery seemed garish, its own obvious signs a kind of cost that people paid for refusing to appear old.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of garish
Verb
  • It's accessed through a green door painted the same shade as 'Bag End' from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Lee takes early meetings at a nearby hotel that could be in any country, except that the room service is delivered by robots painted in the livery of butlers and maids.
    — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of painted
Adjective
  • The native, late summer-blooming obedient plant is a showy addition to your garden.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Although the camerawork isn’t as noticeably showy this time around, Best Cinematography winner Hoyte van Hoytema‘s stature as the first person to shoot an entire film on IMAX 70mm will score a lot of points among his peers.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Definition of showy
Verb
  • The wings in the ad appeared to be heavily coated in a thick, dark sauce, and some of the pieces didn’t clearly resemble drums or flats.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Today, various combinations are packed into cardboard spheres or cylinders—shells—along with fuses coated in a flammable slurry, then sealed inside kraft paper and shot from fibreglass mortars.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of coated
Adjective
  • So graceful and powerful, without feeling tawdry.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026
  • Chicago stories, books about music or celebrities, history lessons, or tawdry, trashy novels that are secretly good?
    — Kayla Samoy, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Definition of tawdry
Adjective
  • From dive bars to beach bars, swanky cocktail speakeasies to retro-throwback lounges, the best bars tell a story – and often serve up something tasty to go with your drink.
    — USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • All guests are greeted with a swanky, industrial-chic entrance, high ceilings, and a spiral staircase that leads down to the front desk check-in.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
Definition of swank
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Bedaubed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedaubed. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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