Synonyms of gaudy

gaudy

adjective

ˈgȯ-dē 

as in loud

excessively showy

gaudy decorations on all the doors and windows at festival time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loud
• noisy
• garish
• flashy
• extravagant
• ornate
• ostentatious
• flamboyant
• glitzy
• excessive
• flaring
• swanky
• fancy
• splashy
• swank
• razzle-dazzle
• over-the-top
• bright
• overwrought
• baroque
• pretentious
• spectacular
• glaring
• fulsome
• snazzy
• hammy
• tawdry
• tacky
• overdone
• florid
• glittery
• lurid
• vulgar
• blaring
• bedizened
• inelegant
• tasteless
• overbright
• tinselly
• graceless
• zooty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appropriate
• conservative
• understated
• quiet
• proper
• fitting
• inconspicuous
• subdued
• unflashy
• elegant
• unobtrusive
• muted
• restrained
• unflamboyant
• tasteful
• graceful
• plain
• toned (down)
• modest
• simple
• unpretentious

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gaudy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gaudy are flashy, garish, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When could flashy be used to replace gaudy?

The words flashy and gaudy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

When is garish a more appropriate choice than gaudy?

While in some cases nearly identical to gaudy, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

Where would meretricious be a reasonable alternative to gaudy?

The synonyms meretricious and gaudy are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 is it sensible to use tawdry instead of gaudy?

In some situations, the words tawdry and gaudy are roughly equivalent. However, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gaudy

In an incisive observation of the way that an adult’s words can sometimes settle on a child with unusual weight, I-Jing absorbs this folk superstition without question, and begins to shoplift gaudy trinkets from surrounding market stalls, only ever using her evil left hand. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2025

Kentucky’s Andy Beshear boasts a positively gaudy 68% approval rating in his deep-red state, the highest of any Democratic governor in the country, according to Morning Consult’s nationwide survey. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025

Not everyone wants a stark, futuristic space box drowning in gaudy RGB lighting. —Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

The power numbers haven’t been gaudy for either, but the core infielders are hitting the ball hard. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 3 May 2025