tinselly

adjective

Definition of tinsellynext
as in garish

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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 tinselly The precocious designer became a supernova thanks to continuous toil in a tinselly milieu that prizes leisure and luxury. — Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinselly
  1. garish
  2. gaudy
  3. tacky
  4. lurid
  5. glitzy
  6. kitschy
  7. showy
  8. tawdry
Adjective
  • Our test car’s blue-and-silver two-tone finish was striking without becoming garish, though subtlety is always relative when the hood stretches this far and the grille resembles the entrance to a private bank.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Once, plastic surgery seemed garish, its own obvious signs a kind of cost that people paid for refusing to appear old.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of garish
Adjective
  • Beyond gaudy numbers and a long scroll of awards and achievements, Nelson was one of the most colorful and compelling coaches to grace the Bay Area in any professional sport.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The subsidy headlined a gaudy incentive package offering property and sales tax exemptions, discount electricity and payments for infrastructure in exchange for about 9,000 jobs.
    — Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of gaudy
Adjective
  • Both my wife and I always considered artificial flowers tacky and not appropriate for cemeteries, even though lots of people decorate gravesites with them.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Its droplets contain proteins, water, salts and small molecules that help the adhesive remain soft and tacky.
    — Aliasger K. Salem, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of tacky
Adjective
  • The real reason is that his report is an unfocused jumble of personal testimony, with no evident attempt to corroborate the lurid and sometimes unbelievable accusations made by anonymous sources.
    — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
  • Some sodas are playfully topped with cotton candy, like the cotton candy cloud ($10), a lurid blue drink made with Starry lemon-lime soda with vanilla and blue raspberry syrups and cream.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of lurid
Adjective
  • The Haim rocker stars alongside Ziwe as a bouncer who is unimpressed with Owen’s outfit to the glitzy event.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026
  • His four-decade career will be the focus of the Costume Institute’s next spring show, the annual exhibition that opens with the glitzy Met Gala on the first Monday in May.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of glitzy
Adjective
  • The experience usually includes kitschy decorations, selfie opportunities, and merchandise for sale.
    — Fielding Buck, Daily News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The New 12-Course Dining Experience Dinner and a show usually means a kitschy Medieval Times performance or maybe a community theater production.
    — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 22 July 2026
Definition of kitschy
Adjective
  • Seline, a 14- to 17-course epicurean adventure told through seasonal and regional ingredients, innovative techniques and showy plating that makes use of bones, antlers and bowls within bowls, has been racking up accolades in 2026.
    — Carrie Bell, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • With dark glossy leaves and showy white flowers, peace lilies are a traditional houseplant and make a good housewarming or sympathy gift.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of showy
Adjective
  • So graceful and powerful, without feeling tawdry.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026
  • Chicago stories, books about music or celebrities, history lessons, or tawdry, trashy novels that are secretly good?
    — Kayla Samoy, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Definition of tawdry

Browse Nearby Words

tinsel
tinselly
tint
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tinselly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinselly. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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