Definition of garishnext

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 The white shade offers extreme eye brightening, in a playful, non-garish way. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2025 This has translated into freakishly unstable songs that spin from garish wubs and witch folk to lullaby-like purrs. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025 Hedda is nothing if not a showcase for both the star and her director Nia DaCosta, with the latter setting the drama in 1950s English high society and giving everything a garish, gloriously over-the-top aesthetic that suggests Downton Abbey via Baz Luhrmann. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025 The movie has the color palette of a garish tricolored ice pop, a jumble of psychedelic turquoise blue and incandescent fuchsia. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garish
Adjective
  • Upon jeers from the crowd following the win, Putintseva cupped her hand to her ear to mock the fans, resulting in loud boos.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • His call was met with loud cheers from several of the two dozen lawmakers gathered around him at the podium.
    Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Yet every year, this terrified little animal is subjected to loud announcers and noisy crowds and held up and waved around without any regard for his feelings, welfare, or instincts.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • On Thursday, the noisy hallways inside lay quiet, save for occasional chatter between neighboring vendors.
    CBS News, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The numbers haven't been as gaudy in the playoffs, but Maye has been a difference-maker with timely plays, including a 6-yard touchdown run and a 28-yard scramble that led to a field goal against the Broncos.
    Jeff Howe, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
  • As baseball has evolved starting pitchers have seen their usage rate drop, meaning nobody is ever going to post the gaudy totals seen throughout the 20th century.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Garish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garish. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on garish

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