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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• poor
• miserable
• rotten
• cheap
• meretricious
• common
• gaudy
• showy
• glitzy
• bad
• garish
• kitschy
• fake
• ostentatious
• flashy
• wretched
• lurid
• swanky
• tacky
• vulgar
• kitsch
• splashy
• swank
• sham
• tasteless
• shoddy
• trashy
• low-rent
• inelegant
• sleazy
• rubbishy
• cheesy
• mediocre
• gimcrack
• graceless
• shabby
• execrable
• low-grade
• phony
• schlocky
• seedy
• bum
• second-rate
• crappy
• junky
• coarse
• tinselly
• lousy
• shlocky
• trumpery
• cheapjack
• inferior
• counterfeit
• schlock
• shlock
• cut-rate
• phoney
• brummagem
• bargain-basement
• lackluster
• indifferent
• el cheapo
• second-class
• ultracheap
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• 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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trumpery
• gayety
• 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
• civies
• dress
• clobber
• togs
• civvies
• wearables
• tailoring
• underwear
• mufti
• habiliment(s)
• outfit
• vestiary
• ready-to-wear
• sportswear
• habit
• outerwear
• underclothes
• loungewear
• sleepwear
• smallclothes
• pret-a-porter
• 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

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

And one of the leading characters is this tawdry tale is another Can-UHN clown, state trooper Michael Proctor, currently under investigation by the Internal Affairs unit. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 May 2024

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!