gaudy

adjective

ˈgȯ-dē How to pronounce gaudy (audio)
Definition of gaudynext
as in loud
excessively showy gaudy decorations on all the doors and windows at festival time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gaudy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gaudy are flashy, garish, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When could flashy be used to replace gaudy?

The words flashy and gaudy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

When is garish a more appropriate choice than gaudy?

While in some cases nearly identical to gaudy, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

Where would meretricious be a reasonable alternative to gaudy?

The synonyms meretricious and gaudy are sometimes interchangeable, 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

When is it sensible to use tawdry instead of gaudy?

In some situations, the words tawdry and gaudy are roughly equivalent. However, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gaudy The lines are clean and sharp, the palette muted, approaching grayscale (which makes later splashes of color, like in the gaudy decor of a talk show or the blood-rust-red of a post-apocalyptic sky, pop even more), and motion within the frame is kept to a minimum. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026 The fabled East Wing is gone, the Rose Garden has been paved over for a gaudy, Mar-a-Lago-like patio, and now there’s a mixed martial arts cage on the South Lawn. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026 Chawinga, the back-to-back league MVP, has been a top on-field producer for the Current since arriving in 2024 as a relative unknown, despite gaudy statistics at Chinese club Wuhan Jianghan. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2026 The Saudi Suite A wedding gift from Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia, the Burmese sapphire and diamond Saudi Suite consisted of a necklace, pendants, a ring, a bracelet, earrings, and a rather gaudy watch. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gaudy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaudy
  1. loud
  2. noisy
  3. garish
  4. flashy
Adjective
  • Despite a soggy start, the crowd stayed loud and energetic throughout the night.
    — Anna McAllister, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • There are loud crowds, and then there are Mexican soccer crowds.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of loud
Adjective
  • Europe has long resisted air conditioning as noisy, an eyesore on architectural facades and unnecessary, as brutal summer heat has been relatively short-lived.
    — Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 July 2026
  • The advertisement paints an ominous portrait, featuring a man in dark lighting standing in front of images of noisy computer servers.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of noisy
Adjective
  • If a Piña Colada is a Hawaiian shirt, garish and lurid, then the Coco de Agua is a white linen suit—still rum, lime, and coconut, but clean and fitted.
    — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 27 June 2026
  • And yes, the bottles are kind of garish, but don’t judge a fragrance based on its packaging!
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 24 June 2026
Definition of garish
Adjective
  • The rapper blends her innate New York style with high fashion and luxury footwear styles, creating ultra-unique and flashy looks.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
  • Within the flashy dance numbers and power ballads, American musicals often hold up a mirror to society.
    — Abraham Swee, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of flashy

Browse Nearby Words

gauds
gaudy
gauge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gaudy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaudy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on gaudy

Nglish: Translation of gaudy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All