Synonyms of meretricious

meretricious

adjective

as in conspicuous

formal + disapproving attractive in a cheap or false way

meretricious beauty lacking in any real substance

Related Words

• conspicuous
• remarkable
• brilliant
• loud
• noticeable
• dramatic
• striking
• outstanding
• distinguished
• tawdry
• visible
• impressive
• gaudy
• perceptible
• observable
• garish
• pronounced
• discernible
• marked
• showy
• glitzy
• detectable
• noisy
• flashy
• recognizable
• emphatic
• prominent
• swank
• flamboyant
• bold
• interesting
• jazzy
• screaming
• noteworthy
• fascinating
• highlighted
• salient
• commanding
• eminent
• splashy
• arresting
• extravagant
• spectacular
• catchy
• notable
• eye-catching
• absorbing
• flagrant
• glaring
• pretentious
• kenspeckle
• grabby
• ostentatious
• bodacious
• fancy
• ornate
• overwrought
• florid
• opulent
• glittery
• riveting
• enthralling
• engrossing
• highfalutin
• spotlighted
• howling
• overdone

Dissimilar Words

• subtle
• obscure
• hidden
• unimportant
• dim
• faint
• concealed
• undistinguished
• insignificant
• shrouded
• modest
• simple
• unaffected
• unpretentious
• conservative
• plain
• unassuming
• understated
• quiet
• restrained
• subdued
• unremarkable
• inconspicuous
• muted
• unobtrusive
• unnoticeable
• unflashy
• unemphatic
• unshowy
• toned-down
• unflamboyant

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

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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!