variants
also geegaw
as in bauble
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
had a shelf devoted just to gewgaws featuring his favorite team's mascot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 gewgaw
Words that foiled spellers included chrysal, athanor, cloxacillin, heliconius, torticollis, platylepadid and gewgaw, and at one point judges had to review a video replay to determine whether a speller said the letter I or Y.
—
New York Times, 9 July 2021
And how nice to see Cynthia Erivo — to really see the woman and not have her overwhelmed by an elaborate mishmash of ruffles and gewgaws.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2020
Loaded to the gills with all-wheel drive, digital gewgaws and two-tone leather interior, my racy coupe stickered for $62,000 — a healthy $20,000 cheaper than a comparable BMW M4 coupe.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 28 Dec. 2019
Giveaways are a universal phenomenon, but Silicon Valley has made free gewgaws and gadgets an integral part of its culture.
—Owen Thomas, SFChronicle.com, 24 July 2019
The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2019
Graphics: Your choice of desktop-class RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080
Display: Your choice of four 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) displays, with or without touch, with or without gewgaws like Tobii eye-tracking.
—Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, 8 Jan. 2019
Bookstores should be designed to bring us closer together, not modeled after an open prairie dotted with books and assorted gewgaws — puzzles, Lego kits, Polaroid cameras.
—John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 6 June 2018
Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney have all won Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and countless other prizes and gewgaws in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.
—Glenn Whipp, latimes.com, 20 Feb. 2018
New York Times, 9 July 2021
And how nice to see Cynthia Erivo — to really see the woman and not have her overwhelmed by an elaborate mishmash of ruffles and gewgaws.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2020
Loaded to the gills with all-wheel drive, digital gewgaws and two-tone leather interior, my racy coupe stickered for $62,000 — a healthy $20,000 cheaper than a comparable BMW M4 coupe.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 28 Dec. 2019
Giveaways are a universal phenomenon, but Silicon Valley has made free gewgaws and gadgets an integral part of its culture.
—Owen Thomas, SFChronicle.com, 24 July 2019
The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2019
Graphics: Your choice of desktop-class RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080
Display: Your choice of four 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) displays, with or without touch, with or without gewgaws like Tobii eye-tracking.
—Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, 8 Jan. 2019
Bookstores should be designed to bring us closer together, not modeled after an open prairie dotted with books and assorted gewgaws — puzzles, Lego kits, Polaroid cameras.
—John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 6 June 2018
Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney have all won Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and countless other prizes and gewgaws in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.
—Glenn Whipp, latimes.com, 20 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gewgaw
Noun
-
Every day brings with it new discoveries, like the original stone flooring in the hallway, and a selection of vintage glass baubles and suitcases that had been gathering dust in the vacant property.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
-
With Murano glass baubles dangling in the restaurants and beautiful bouquets orchestrated by the full-time florist in the passageways, every corner of the ship seems frame-worthy.—
DeMarco Williams,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Jo Malone London Lavender & Moonflower Pillow Mist $52 Bloomingdale's Room & Linen Aromatherapy Duo $28 Koala Eco Conceal the clutter Your brain is less likely to settle down if your nightstand is overflowing with tchotchkes, books, and empty water glasses.—
Miranda Silva,
Architectural Digest,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Friendship stores selling specialty foodstuffs, silks, and Maoist tchotchkes emerged to meet demand from both Chinese immigrants seeking familiar comforts and Americans fascinated by the exotic wares.—
Mark Tseng-Putterman / Made by History,
TIME,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
For a piece in this week’s issue, Helfand speaks with all parties involved, and even visits Elvis in his current resting place, amid dusty knickknacks and towering piles of junk in an office behind a mechanic’s garage.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Inside the cozy house — adorned with a Saint Dolly Parton candle, a stack of board games, and various knickknacks — the songwriters relax in matching camo-print sweats.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
January is a multiplex clearance sale, littered with horror movies as gimcrack as the unsold toys wheeled out after the holidays.—
A.A. Dowd,
Chron,
5 Jan. 2023
-
The movie works hard to be a soulfully offbeat kiddie entertainment, an antidote to the gimcrack cynicism that has ruled too many cartoon-cutup-in-the-land-of-live-action Hollywood products.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2022
Noun
-
Multipurpose nasturtiums can be grown for their edible flowers and leaves, or enjoyed as pollinator-friendly ornamentals.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Otherwise, use of a fungicide labeled for rust control on ornamentals would be helpful.—
Tom MacCubbin,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Saltwater Gypsies Fine Food + Gift Market is the spot for trinkets and specialty beach snacks, and Dylan’s Coal Oven Pizzeria, located in the Cinnamon Shore vacation home community, is the place to share hot slices.—
Mariah Tyler,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2025
-
The hutch has plenty of space to store mail, stationery, and trinkets, and because of its versatility, it can be placed in any room.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
At the other end is the caricature, butt of flabby jokes, trussed in Las Vegas gaud, voice prostituted to a huge orchestra.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2019
-
Even its colors, silver and space gray, seem to have been chosen for their lack of gaud—no blingy gold model here.—
David Pierce,
WIRED,
3 Nov. 2017
Noun
-
The painting then remained in the artist’s possession and out of public sight until it was bought, in 1927, as a chic bibelot for a swanky members-only social club in London.—
Peter Schjeldahl,
The New Yorker,
9 May 2022
-
Bruno Magli’s luxe nappa leather bibelot upgrades the standard-issue, white plastic AirPods case.—
Kareem Rashed,
Robb Report,
16 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Gewgaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gewgaw. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share