meretricious

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective meretricious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of meretricious are flashy, garish, gaudy, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," 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 flashy instead of meretricious?

The words flashy and meretricious 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 could garish be used to replace meretricious?

While the synonyms garish and meretricious are close in meaning, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

Where would gaudy be a reasonable alternative to meretricious?

The words gaudy and meretricious can be used in similar contexts, but gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When would tawdry be a good substitute for meretricious?

Although the words tawdry and meretricious have much in common, 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 meretricious So ranked-choice voting was implemented as a stop-loss remedy — a move to camouflage the practices of an industry devoted to meretricious, often nihilistic entertainments. Armond White, National Review, 27 June 2025 These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South. Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025 These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South. Michael Miklaucic, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025 But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024 Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors. Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024 The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meretricious
Adjective
  • Perhaps not surprisingly, the paper’s conspicuous treatment of crime news in his city ranked among the mayor’s chief objections to business as usual in the newsroom.
    Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The sight of unsupervised children playing or walking or riding a bike gradually became conspicuous and, too often, triggered the involvement of police or child-welfare authorities.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As if the cobalt blue cabinets and arch details weren’t remarkable enough, this kitchen incorporates multiple playful patterns.
    Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Nix had just followed an anemic first three quarters with a remarkable finishing kick for the second time in three games.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • On September 21, 1991, Wright scored a typically brilliant goal in Palace’s 3-2 win at Oldham Athletic, having sprinted from inside his own half.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • However, Route 100 shines particularly brightest (both literally and figuratively) in the fall, when the trees lining the road light up with brilliant fall colors.
    Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The former instantly adds a second layer of security against unwanted guests, and the latter emits an ultra-loud alarm while acting like a door stop wedge, scaring off any stranger who tries to enter your room.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Due to the struggles that the Florida State Seminoles have gone through this season following their opening upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, calls have begun getting louder for the program to consider firing head coach Mike Norvell.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But people in the control group didn’t have a noticeable change.
    Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2025
  • To economists like Zandi, however, the country still remains at high risk of entering a downturn, with inflation, softness in the labor market and noticeable declines in consumer confidence weighing on their forecasts.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • No team in the Championship has lost more than the nine points Wrexham have dropped from a winning position this term, a damaging trait that began on the opening day at Southampton when two stoppage-time goals turned a 1-0 win into a dramatic loss.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Watch the actor and his wife, Camila, perform a dramatic reading of the police report to celebrate the anniversary of his run-in with the law.
    Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Novartis has been proactively striking deals this year to address the impending patent cliff for some of its blockbuster drugs, including Entresto for heart failure, Xolair for asthma and Cosentyx for autoimmune diseases.
    Reuters, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
  • View gallery - 7 images New York City has gained a striking addition to its iconic skyline.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Shrinking earned a total of seven nominations at the 2025 Emmy Awards, including Ford's first-ever Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
  • At the end of the third quarter, GM's outstanding shares were at 954 million, a 15% decline from a year earlier.
    Michael Wayland, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Meretricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meretricious. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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