1
: something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality
2
: a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition
teetering on the brink of kitsch—
Ron Miller
Ron Miller
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Kitsch is an early 20th-century borrowing from German, and it refers to things in the realm of popular culture that are tacky, like car mirror dice, plastic flamingos, and dashboard hula dancers.
Examples of kitsch in a Sentence
The restaurant is decorated with 1950s furniture and kitsch from old TV shows.
Recent Examples on the Web
The structure was drafted by a stage designer before being realized by an architect, a choice that’s reflected in some of its fanciful elements (some of which contemporary architects dismissed as kitsch) like frescoes, Romanesque arches, Gothic delicacy and whiffs of Art Nouveau foreshadowing.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The ride, which takes young kids and their parents on a short journey through a storybook land and a glowing, fluorescent tunnel, has long been a fun exercise in kitsch (and a welcome respite for parents and grandparents chasing kids around).
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
This was when his baroque aesthetic vision could curdle into kitsch.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
At the same time, its candy colored set and ’80s game show kitsch prevent audiences from ever forgetting about the asininity of the setting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kitsch
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Ann Abel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The ride, which takes young kids and their parents on a short journey through a storybook land and a glowing, fluorescent tunnel, has long been a fun exercise in kitsch (and a welcome respite for parents and grandparents chasing kids around).
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025
This was when his baroque aesthetic vision could curdle into kitsch.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
At the same time, its candy colored set and ’80s game show kitsch prevent audiences from ever forgetting about the asininity of the setting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kitsch
Cite this Entry
“Kitsch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitsch. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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