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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 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
  • 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
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
  • As one of silvaner’s most prominent and historic producers, Wirsching has spent much of her career introducing silvaner to the world.
    Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 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
  • Think about incorporating brocade brilliance and making florals interesting in a dramatic way.
    Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • But the real draw is the close-ups on slices of pork bubbling and sizzling on hot grills, plus the dramatic pans over bowls of banchan.
    Katie Rife, EW.com, 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
  • Which ever of the two superstars steps up the biggest tonight can give their team a commanding lead as the series starts to come to a close.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
  • Adam Henrique scored twice in what was a brutally physical first period, sparking the Oilers to a dominant 3-0 win to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 12 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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