Synonyms of tawdry

tawdry 1 of 2

adjective

as in terrible

marked by low quality and unbecoming appearance

We tolerate the neighbors' tawdry Christmas display during the holidays, but by January we're about sick of it.

Related Words

• terrible
• poor
• miserable
• rotten
• cheap
• meretricious
• common
• gaudy
• showy
• glitzy
• bad
• garish
• kitschy
• fake
• ostentatious
• flashy
• wretched
• lurid
• swanky
• tacky
• vulgar
• kitsch
• splashy
• swank
• sham
• tasteless
• shoddy
• trashy
• low-rent
• inelegant
• sleazy
• rubbishy
• cheesy
• mediocre
• gimcrack
• graceless
• shabby
• execrable
• low-grade
• phony
• schlocky
• seedy
• bum
• second-rate
• crappy
• junky
• coarse
• tinselly
• lousy
• shlocky
• trumpery
• cheapjack
• inferior
• counterfeit
• schlock
• shlock
• cut-rate
• phoney
• brummagem
• bargain-basement
• lackluster
• indifferent
• el cheapo
• second-class
• ultracheap
• supercheap

Dissimilar Words

• elegant
• handsome
• tasteful
• polished
• refined
• excellent
• good
• superior
• fine
• first-class
• high-grade
• handcrafted
• first-rate
• top-notch

tawdry

2 of 2

noun

as in trumpery

Related Words

• trumpery
• gayety
• frippery
• finery
• foofaraw
• regalia
• gaiety
• pretties
• gaudery
• bravery
• tatters
• glad rags
• caparison
• rags
• trim
• clothes
• clothing
• garb
• livery
• ensemble
• array
• frock
• costumery
• raiment
• vestments
• attire
• costume
• garments
• wardrobe
• apparel
• rigging
• vesture
• threads
• toggery
• weeds
• duds
• getup
• wear
• guise
• rig
• couture
• gear
• garderobe
• civies
• dress
• clobber
• togs
• civvies
• wearables
• tailoring
• underwear
• mufti
• habiliment(s)
• outfit
• vestiary
• ready-to-wear
• sportswear
• habit
• outerwear
• underclothes
• loungewear
• sleepwear
• smallclothes
• pret-a-porter
• playwear
• activewear
• prêt-à-porter
• nightclothes

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective tawdry contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of tawdry are flashy, garish, gaudy, and meretricious. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

When is flashy a more appropriate choice than tawdry?

In some situations, the words flashy and tawdry are roughly equivalent. However, flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

In what contexts can garish take the place of tawdry?

The meanings of garish and tawdry largely overlap; however, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

When is it sensible to use gaudy instead of tawdry?

While in some cases nearly identical to tawdry, gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When would meretricious be a good substitute for tawdry?

The words meretricious and tawdry can be used in similar contexts, but meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tawdry

Noun

Then there’s the cup holder cover, a small detail, which is tawdry and lets the expensive-feeling cabin down a bit. —Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Various tawdry plots are picked up and discarded as the story staggers onward. —Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025

The film was a hit on 42nd Street, possessing a certain tawdry entertainment value. —Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 June 2025

Born a modest gathering of kindred spirits, the festival hath blossomed into a celebration of the days of yore, where knights do clash, bards sing sweet airs, merchants display their wares most fine and wenches doth tease in tawdry jests. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 22 May 2025

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