as in cheap
of low quality
a store plastered with "going out of business" signs and notorious for selling gimcrack merchandise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ornamental
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
a remarkable amount of money is spent on gimcracks and other unnecessary items each year their apartment has enough gimcracks to fill up a novelty company's warehouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gimcrack
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
The inevitable flood tide of gimcrack Biden souvenirs has yet to start in earnest, but there are some.
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2020
So will the border continue to vanish in the face of nativist backlash and a trumpery, gimcrack wall?
—Felipe Fernández-Armesto, WSJ, 25 June 2018
Science fiction on the screen had been pinched, gimcrack, borderline laughable.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2018
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
The inevitable flood tide of gimcrack Biden souvenirs has yet to start in earnest, but there are some.
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2020
So will the border continue to vanish in the face of nativist backlash and a trumpery, gimcrack wall?
—Felipe Fernández-Armesto, WSJ, 25 June 2018
Science fiction on the screen had been pinched, gimcrack, borderline laughable.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gimcrack
Adjective
-
The Marlins under this owner have no reasonable way out of this rut of building on the cheap toward a future that never gets here.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 27,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Don't forget about the newer, more compact and much cheaper Lego Technic SLS set, only $60, also 'launches' with some clever Technic moving parts.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mellano raises flowers, succulents and ornamentals on hundreds of acres in South Morro Hills.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
To get the most benefits from DE, read our simple application tips for vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, and houseplants.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Beaten 4-1 at Bolton Wanderers, Leeds were effectively relegated to the second tier with two games remaining because of their vastly inferior goal difference.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What remains in a lot of these tracks, then, are dazzling little ornaments.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The store’s display of wooden German pieces, for example, are reproductions of a line of German ornaments from the late 1920s.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Here are five novels that have been tied to terrible crimes.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The city of Plano scores restaurants on a 100-point system, with 100 considered a perfect score and 70 extremely poor.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Something smells rotten in Denmark — that is, Tallahassee.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The exoplanet's atmosphere contains gases like water, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide -- which can smell like rotten eggs, especially when burned.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bernadine appeared to be useless—or, worse, a potential double agent.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This is very bad for our health.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gimcrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gimcrack. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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