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Definition of gimcracknext
as in ornamental
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest a remarkable amount of money is spent on gimcracks and other unnecessary items each year their apartment has enough gimcracks to fill up a novelty company's warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of gimcrack
Noun
January is a multiplex clearance sale, littered with horror movies as gimcrack as the unsold toys wheeled out after the holidays. — A.a. Dowd, Chron, 5 Jan. 2023 The movie works hard to be a soulfully offbeat kiddie entertainment, an antidote to the gimcrack cynicism that has ruled too many cartoon-cutup-in-the-land-of-live-action Hollywood products. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2022 The inevitable flood tide of gimcrack Biden souvenirs has yet to start in earnest, but there are some. — New York Times, 6 Dec. 2020 So will the border continue to vanish in the face of nativist backlash and a trumpery, gimcrack wall? — Felipe Fernández-Armesto, WSJ, 25 June 2018 Science fiction on the screen had been pinched, gimcrack, borderline laughable. — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2018 The designer Vicki Mortimer has created a set that feels like a gimcrack warehouse, full of old ladders and lights and puppet-stage-like window frames. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gimcrack
Adjective
  • The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The commercial space industry looked forward to abundant, cheap launches.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • That framing, functional over ornamental, marks a clear departure from the resort-style aesthetic that dominated the late pandemic years.
    — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Late-Modern architect focuses on a sleek design with minimal ornamentals.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The idea is to sound like an inferior buck in the brush, one that is roaming around a mature deer’s space and getting on his nerves.
    — Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Only 272 yards, at home, against a UCLA team that unquestionably has inferior talent?
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • However, since the ornament is entered into a holiday gift exchange rather than gifted with proper intention, Tanya suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of everyone else’s misfortune.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • If a holiday carol stopped you cold in the grocery store this week, or if hanging a single ornament brought you to tears, nothing is wrong with you.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.
    — Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Disease that has spread to those organs is associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Since January 2023, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has received more than 28,000 complaints, many of which describe the foul smell as rotten, putrid and stomach-churning.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Zhang and his colleagues theorize that this reaction might help plants avoid pathogens, similar to the way unpleasant smells help animals steer clear of rotten food.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Judges failing to award fees and government agencies unreasonably resisting paying them make the problem even worse.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gimcrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gimcrack. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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