as in conspicuous
formal + disapproving
attractive in a cheap or false way
meretricious beauty lacking in any real substance
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Recent Examples of meretricious
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—
Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—Michael Miklaucic, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—Michael Miklaucic, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meretricious
Adjective
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In a world where customers expect companies to have a point of view, the absence of one is conspicuous.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
For starters, Miller found that notice of the arbitration clause was sufficiently conspicuous to Lori.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Kawhi Leonard was the star of the show, though, leading the Clippers with 39 points on a remarkable 15-for-19 shooting night.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The remarkable images — taken from Quebec, Canada, during the March 29, 2025, partial solar eclipse — reveal the sun's outer atmosphere — a feature typically visible only during the brief moments of totality during a total solar eclipse.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s not going to be enough against Luka Dončić, who was brilliant again, and LeBron James, who nearly had a triple-double.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Étoile doesn’t just make that argument, in guest appearances by artists who bridge high and low, like David Byrne, and shouting out the brilliant documentarian Frederick Wiseman in a scene set at the Manhattan cinema mecca Film Forum.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
-
According to cops, Mette, while inside Tamara’s Beauty Bar, a salon on Lenox Ave. near W. 113th St., heard a loud argument between two groups about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Use the dome light and flashers to make your vehicle more noticeable.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Arsenal’s change in tack from corners was immediately noticeable in their 1-1 draw with Brentford.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The coup marked a dramatic political backslide in a country that had been moving toward democracy for the past decade, and triggered widespread unrest.—
Emily Fishbein, Hpan Ja Brang,
The Dial,
17 Apr. 2025
-
McIlroy got the job done in a dramatic playoff over Justin Rose after a topsy-turvy final round that featured plenty of ups and downs.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In an attempt to balance ticket prices and food, a striking trend has been emerging.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The 26-room boutique spans three levels of the striking Torre Virreyes, a jutting showpiece of the skyline with views stretching into the Bosque de Chapultepec, the region’s largest urban park, once home of Aztec and Habsburg emperors.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The thicker frame is reminiscent of an earlier era filled with outstanding fashion.—
Christopher Murray,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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This achievement reflects the group’s continued leadership in international health services and its ability to offer outstanding patient experiences.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meretricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meretricious. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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