TAWDRY Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

tawdry 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of tawdry next

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tawdry

2 of 2

noun

as in trumpery

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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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 See all Example Sentences for tawdry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tawdry

Adjective

There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.

— Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025
Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.

— M.L. Rio, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025