meretricious

meretricious

showy; gaudy; tawdry; based on pretense; false: a meretricious comment
Not to be confused with:meritorious – deserving of praise, admirable: meritorious service

mer·e·tri·cious

M0228700 (mĕr′ĭ-trĭsh′əs)adj.1. a. Attracting attention in a vulgar manner: meretricious ornamentation.b. Plausible but false or insincere; specious: made a meretricious argument.2. Of or relating to prostitutes or prostitution: meretricious relationships.

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[Latin meretrīcius, of prostitutes, from meretrīx, meretrīc-, prostitute, from merēre, to earn money; see (s)mer- in Indo-European roots.]

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mer′e·tri′cious·ly adv.

meretricious

(ˌmɛrɪˈtrɪʃəs) adj1. superficially or garishly attractive2. insincere: meretricious praise. 3. archaic of, like, or relating to a prostitute[C17: from Latin merētrīcius, from merētrix prostitute, from merēre to earn money] ˌmereˈtriciously adv ˌmereˈtriciousness n

mer•e•tri•cious

(ˌmɛr ɪˈtrɪʃ əs)
adj. 1. alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry. 2. based on pretense or insincerity. 3. pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute. [1620–30; < Latin meretrīcius of prostitutes, derivative of meretrīx prostitute, from merēre to earn] mer`e•tri′cious•ly, adv. mer`e•tri′cious•ness, n.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	meretricious - like or relating to a prostitute; "meretricious relationships"archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression
	2.	meretricious - tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, tawdry, trashy, brassy, cheap, loud, tacky, tattytasteless - lacking aesthetic or social taste
	3.	meretricious - based on pretense; deceptively pleasing; "the gilded and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility"; "meretricious praise"; "a meretricious argument"gilded, speciousinsincere - lacking sincerity; "a charming but thoroughly insincere woman"; "their praise was extravagant and insincere"

meretricious

adjective1. trashy, flashy, gaudy, garish, tawdry, showy, plastic (slang), tinsel, gimcrack vulgar, meretricious and shabby souvenirs2. false, hollow, bogus, put-on, mock, sham, pseudo (informal), counterfeit, spurious, deceitful, insincere, specious, phoney or phony (informal) meretricious ads that claim their product to be the best around

meretricious

adjectiveTastelessly showy:brummagem, chintzy, flashy, garish, gaudy, glaring, loud, tawdry, tinsel.Informal: tacky.

Translations

appariscenteopzichtig