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
• bad
• glitzy
• garish
• kitschy
• fake
• ostentatious
• flashy
• lurid
• wretched
• tacky
• vulgar
• kitsch
• splashy
• swank
• sham
• tasteless
• shoddy
• trashy
• low-rent
• inelegant
• sleazy
• rubbishy
• cheesy
• mediocre
• graceless
• shabby
• execrable
• low-grade
• phony
• seedy
• crappy
• second-rate
• bum
• junky
• tinselly
• coarse
• lousy
• gimcrack
• trumpery
• cheapjack
• inferior
• counterfeit
• schlock
• cut-rate
• 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
• 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
• dress
• clobber
• togs
• civvies
• wearables
• tailoring
• underwear
• habiliment(s)
• mufti
• outfit
• vestiary
• ready-to-wear
• sportswear
• habit
• outerwear
• underclothes
• loungewear
• sleepwear
• smallclothes
• 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

Adjective

Recovery has scarcely begun, but insult is being added to fire victims’ injuries as local officials — especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — engage in a tawdry game of finger-pointing. —Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026

Jones envisioned the show as more light-hearted than those of her competitors, weaving comedy skits and bawdy humor in with the tawdry affairs of her guests. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026

His license was not renewed after a rather tawdry incident in Newburyport last July 2. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026

Soon enough, George realizes his wholesome American town has become Pottersville, a tawdry neon strip that looks like a 1940s fever dream of vice—all neon lights, garish bars, dancing girls, and desperation. —Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025

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