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.
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as in trumpery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tawdry
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Dec. 2024
The younger Biden had denied use of illicit drugs while filling out that form — a claim that was a lie, as some tawdry testimony at his trial made clear.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
Wolfe’s revival does justice to these contradictions: smart yet tawdry, high yet very low.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Starring a chilly Angelina Jolie as Callas, the film insists on depicting the larger-than-life singer as a sad, hollow woman facing a tawdry death.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tawdry
Adjective
Trump’s tawdry parade Trump is just about the last person who can credibly criticize Biden’s pardon — which won’t stop him.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Dec. 2024
The younger Biden had denied use of illicit drugs while filling out that form — a claim that was a lie, as some tawdry testimony at his trial made clear.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
Wolfe’s revival does justice to these contradictions: smart yet tawdry, high yet very low.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Starring a chilly Angelina Jolie as Callas, the film insists on depicting the larger-than-life singer as a sad, hollow woman facing a tawdry death.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tawdry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tawdry
Adjective
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Traditional networks grant access just because a device is on the network, which is a terrible idea.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Other adults in the room opt to avert their eyes as Jamie disrobes, but Eddie can’t turn away, out of a mix of protectiveness and horrified shock, in the same way that there’s no editor to protect the characters, the actors, or the audience from having to live in each terrible moment of the scene.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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What was the strategic benefit to the US of all this geopolitical trumpery?—
Peter Bergen,
CNN,
28 May 2022
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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
Adjective
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But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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The Heat holds a poor 9-24 record this season in games against teams currently with a winning record.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And the fact that some people need to live miserable lives in order for other people to live these absolutely luxurious lives.—
Amiel Stanek,
Bon Appétit,
17 Mar. 2025
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Down the road, Reus is taking a lot of the heat for the LA Galaxy’s miserable start to the season, having failed so far to make up for the injury absence of Riqui Puig in central midfield.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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At first, Valentín shows no interest in Molina’s frippery, but once he gets started on his detailed narration of the loopy movie plot, the political prisoner begins eagerly requesting further installments.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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But who has time for all of that frippery, anyway, when war’s a-comin’?—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The smell of rotten eggs, from when officials carted her off to quarantine without letting her refrigerate her groceries, is long gone.—
Vivian Wang,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2025
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There weren’t just ‘rotten kids hanging out at the mall,’ as was said in those days.—
Kyle Newman,
The Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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To majorly commit, request everyone show up in tea-time finery—hats and all.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2025
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But for all its imperial finery and grandeur, the waltz was the people’s dance.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Read: The cost of avoiding microplastics In the mid-1990s, China emerged as the principal destination for used cups, straws, and the like; the country’s growing manufacturing sector was eager to make use of cheap, recycled raw plastic.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
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My problem is, one family member opens cards that have been left there for my daughter, and puts all sorts of cheap decorations around her grave.—
Jeanne Phillips,
The Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tawdry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tawdry. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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