kitsch 1 of 2

Definition of kitschnext
as in cheese
something that is of low quality but that many people find amusing and enjoyable The restaurant is decorated with 1950s furniture and kitsch from old TV shows.

Related Words

Relevance

kitsch

2 of 2

adjective

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 kitsch
Noun
Today, nostalgia is somewhat kitsch. Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026 Bask in the retro-kitsch glory of the Mother Road on a getaway along the Illinois stretch, with stops in Pontiac for the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum and a photo op in Collinsville with the World's Largest Catsup Bottle. Joie Probst, Midwest Living, 25 Jan. 2026 The potential design traps in a place like Hawaii are often hard to avoid–the bright hibiscus prints, the surf photos; decor can approach kitsch in the blink of an eye. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026 Historic Route 66 General Store Seligman is the place to get your Route 66 kitsch on. Daria Bachmann, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kitsch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kitsch
Noun
  • Prices run from €16 for a burrata cheese and tomato bruschetta to €25 for foie gras with bitter marmalade.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
  • French cheeses displayed in a store in Paris.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Displays of it, particularly in architecture or public art, are often perceived as tacky, kitschy or, heaven forbid, nouveau riche.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • It’s meant to be a little kitschy.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Jones is an elite defender who can score through doubles and junk defenses, and is lethal from 3, shooting 41% from distance in her career.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Take your household trash out back, set it on fire, and whoosh, all that junk was smoke, and no longer your problem.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Over beats as blunt, chromatic, and gleefully stupid as a Jeff Koons sculpture, the singer has vied to make hyperpop more garish and alarming by being hornier, messier, and more extreme than her peers.
    Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The coin, which breaks with the country’s longstanding tradition of not featuring a living person on its currency, joins a swiftly growing list of other Trumpian imprints on arts and culture, including architectural choices deemed gaudy and garish by experts and laypeople alike.
    Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • For many centuries and probably longer, the seas and oceans of the world have been used as a source of food but also as an enormous dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The study confirmed direct dumping by boats, with evidence of bags full of rubbish thrown overboard.
    Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The coin, which breaks with the country’s longstanding tradition of not featuring a living person on its currency, joins a swiftly growing list of other Trumpian imprints on arts and culture, including architectural choices deemed gaudy and garish by experts and laypeople alike.
    Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The Racers live up to their name with fast pace and gaudy point totals.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Kansas City uses this money to pay for basic city services, like fire fighting, snow plowing and trash collecting.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Officials remind the public to report aggressive wildlife immediately, always supervise children outdoors, keep pets on a leash and close by and avoid leaving food or trash accessible.
    Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Illinois and Chicago are high-tax, big-promise blue strongholds with long, tawdry histories of waste, fraud, patronage, insider deals and blatant corruption.
    Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • And there’s something offensively tawdry that all of this is in mere service of extracting rent.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Kitsch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kitsch. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on kitsch

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster