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showy

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How is the word showy different from other adjectives like it?

The words ostentatious and pretentious are common synonyms of showy. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

When might ostentatious be a better fit than showy?

In some situations, the words ostentatious and showy are roughly equivalent. However, ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

When can pretentious be used instead of showy?

The synonyms pretentious and showy are sometimes interchangeable, but pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

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 showiness
Adjective
In the primary suite, the chatelaine’s dressing room is a fashionista’s dream with a showy display for her shoes, in which every pair is presented like jewelry on a backlit white onyx Goldshire background. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2025 The main stairs lead up to a duplex designed as a rental, with a loggia over 49th Street and a showy centerpiece: a curving staircase with a chrome handrail designed by Sanders, who also designed tubular chrome furniture. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 20 Mar. 2025 Under pressure to demonstrate to Ukraine’s ficklest allies that Ukraine still has reserves of strength and the capacity to keep fighting, Zelensky and his top generals have done the showy thing: formed new brigades. David Axe, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025 Marvel Studios/Disney+ Ars Technica: The city is very much a character, not just a showy backdrop. ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for showiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for showiness
Noun
  • The pink-and-brown mansion, often considered a monument to Roaring 20s ostentation, stretches from Lake Worth to the Atlantic Ocean and contains 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, three bomb shelters, a theater, a ballroom and a nine-hole golf course.
    Miami Herasld Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The mansion, often considered a monument to Roaring ‘20s ostentation, stretches from the Intracoastal to the Atlantic Ocean.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • While Steve Austin's presence at WWE WrestleMania 41 was a highlight for many fans, his entrance wasn't without a minor, yet noticeable, hiccup.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • While all of the men had shaved heads and were wearing cloaks with a mysterious symbol on the back, the group's most noticeable trait was that each and every member had Glasgow smile-type scars carved into their faces.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Their flamboyance was a public assertion of freedom, particularly in the north of the United States, where many migrated to reinvent and present themselves following freedom.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • As luxury fashion began to tilt toward flamboyance and logo-happy flash, the Meiers were unafraid to show something as stark as pencil-straight dark trousers with a white button-up.
    Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Heat, precipitation or not, the golf world is ecstatic to have landed in one of the nation’s most prominent sports cities for its second PGA championship in eight years.
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2025
  • The gym makes its most prominent return in the universe's seventh installment, the beginning of the Creed franchise.
    Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • The historic storefront, featuring a facade adorned with Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation, prominently displays the Bulgari logo in Roman capitals, set against a pelmet crafted from emerald-colored marble.
    Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Instead the flowers in an insignia, the metal used to make a circlet, the weave of a piece of braided leather armor; any decorative detail is not mere ornamentation.
    Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • After all, these playoffs have been remarkably exciting to watch, full of upsets and dramatic finishes.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
  • Then things took a dramatic turn Ivanka Trump was on a date night out in Miami Beach.
    Elainie Barraza, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • Nearly seven years since her last US tour, Shakira and her famous hips returned with a massive spectacle.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • The congressman sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, accusing him of prioritizing personal spectacle and showing admiration for authoritarian leaders.
    Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Just a few days ago, the Golden State Warriors held a commanding 3-1 lead in a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025
  • The Golden State Warriors travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, with the Warriors holding a commanding 3-1 lead and the Rockets looking to extend the series.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Showiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/showiness. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

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