as in conspicuous
formal + disapproving
attractive in a cheap or false way
meretricious beauty lacking in any real substance
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Recent Examples of meretricious
Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors.
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Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The heads of banks, corporations, universities, law firms, foundations, and media companies were neither more nor less venal, meretricious, and greedy than their counterparts today.
—George Packer, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2011
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
By condescending to the twins’ evident lack of cultural exposure, the media compound a circumstance that suggests remote parental influence — and dereliction of our rapaciously indifferent consumer culture that sells only what is new and meretricious.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 Aug. 2020
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The heads of banks, corporations, universities, law firms, foundations, and media companies were neither more nor less venal, meretricious, and greedy than their counterparts today.
—George Packer, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2011
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
By condescending to the twins’ evident lack of cultural exposure, the media compound a circumstance that suggests remote parental influence — and dereliction of our rapaciously indifferent consumer culture that sells only what is new and meretricious.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 Aug. 2020
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meretricious
Adjective
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The Beatles, the GOAT of all pop and rock groups, are conspicuous by their absence on the roster of Kennedy Center Honors recipients.Paul Grein, Billboard, 10 Dec. 2024
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The most conspicuous example is the open-air winter sculpture garden at the center of the residence, an intimate, confined courtyard that allows art and nature to coalesce.Troy J. McMullen, Architectural Digest, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The film stars Poitier, Bill Cosby and Harry Belafonte and has a remarkable supporting cast including Calvin Lockhart, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Paula Kelly, Roscoe Lee Browne, Don Marshall, Rosalind Cash, Paul Harris and Harold Nicholas.Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
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Archaeologists have uncovered several ancient Egyptian tombs containing dozens of mummies—some of which were found with gold tongues and nails—among other remarkable artifacts.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Waning crescent moon, Venus and Regulus Those on the East Coast who look up and to the east Sept. 19 about 45 minutes before sunrise will see a crescent moon, Venus and brilliant star Regulus aligned.Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Sherwood then iced the game with a brilliant defensive play while protecting the late 2-0 lead.Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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And that’s the fine line developers and studio heads have to walk in the face of this newer, meaner, louder movement against diversity in the industry: whether or not to acknowledge its existence.Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2024
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The result has been a film rollout that at times feels louder than the film itself.New York Times, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But his rhetoric has taken a noticeable rightward turn in the weeks since Trump’s election victory, particularly on immigration, with Adams boosting the president-elect’s platform and appearing enthusiastic about the incoming administration.Anthony Izaguirre and Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
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The ability to manage more concurrent operations without scaling hardware was a noticeable improvement.Shamaila Mahmood, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But also like Dead to Me, No Good Deed uses the dramatic underpinnings of its central situation to give juicy, emotionally varied material to a cast of actors making the most out of every predictably outrageous zig and zag.Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Dec. 2024
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Food and energy prices also can experience dramatic shifts on a month-to-month basis because of one-time or atypical events such as weather, supply disruptions or disease.Alicia Wallace, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In some of Season 4’s most striking scenes—such as those involving two men who struggle with the lasting consequences of one’s childhood abuse—Guralnik helps her clients understand how coping mechanisms developed under duress can begin to undermine them.Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024
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And while Hozier has never seemed one to puff up his own wins, this time his entire team also appears to view the boost from his recent striking success in relatively low-key terms.Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Beverage Testing Institute’s Top Ten Whiskeys of 2024 showcased a selection of outstanding whiskeys.Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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The whole attention that has been brought to the case is absolutely outstanding.Lynette Rice, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to meretricious
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Cite this Entry
“Meretricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meretricious. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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