Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective garish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of garish are flashy, gaudy, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

When might flashy be a better fit than garish?

While the synonyms flashy and garish are close in meaning, flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

Where would gaudy be a reasonable alternative to garish?

The meanings of gaudy and garish largely overlap; however, gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When can meretricious be used instead of garish?

Although the words meretricious and garish have much in common, meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

When could tawdry be used to replace garish?

While in some cases nearly identical to garish, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of garish Nearly every garish flight of fancy that decorates the frame is a distraction while the majority of the film does little more than rotely dramatize Kafka’s biography. Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 In the Kurosawa version, the characters see the house on the hill as garish. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2025 Severinsen wore purposely garish suits, turning himself into a character. Chris Almeida, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025 Although plentiful, colors should never be garish or jarring. Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garish
Adjective
  • The signs are loud, don’t worry.
    Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • On land, louder environments like running alongside traffic might compete a little too much with talking audio – noise-canceling earbuds or over-ear headphones are better in this setting.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Cregger wrote the screenplay in his garage next to a noisy refrigerator.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Kids were often outside on bikes and scooters and roller skates, playing tag or touch football, turning cartwheels on the lawns, being noisy.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Her gaudy sales numbers mirror her Eras Tour live statistics, which were similarly Barry-Bonds-on-steroids margins beyond other successful stadium artists.
    Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The Panthers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to play well outside of the Falcons’ Michael Penix in Week 3, but even then, the opposing QBs’ numbers haven’t been all that gaudy.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Garish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garish. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on garish

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