as in terrible
marked by low quality and unbecoming appearance
We tolerate the neighbors' tawdry Christmas display during the holidays, but by January we're about sick of it.
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Dissimilar Words
as in trumpery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tawdry
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 June 2025
The tawdry soap is the favorite show consumed by the titular trash-TV-loving security robot, Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård).
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Though the central bank’s partisans will claim in breathy tones that the Fed’s thinking and decisions aren’t compromised by the tawdry politics that so many associate with Washington, the reality is quite different.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
For every stodgy conservator who might consider the guitar a tawdry, lowbrow diversion, there’s a cultural critic who dismisses it as an object of boomer nostalgia, about as musically relevant in this post-rockist era as the harpsichord.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tawdry
Noun
The film was a hit on 42nd Street, possessing a certain tawdry entertainment value.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 June 2025
The tawdry soap is the favorite show consumed by the titular trash-TV-loving security robot, Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård).
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Though the central bank’s partisans will claim in breathy tones that the Fed’s thinking and decisions aren’t compromised by the tawdry politics that so many associate with Washington, the reality is quite different.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
For every stodgy conservator who might consider the guitar a tawdry, lowbrow diversion, there’s a cultural critic who dismisses it as an object of boomer nostalgia, about as musically relevant in this post-rockist era as the harpsichord.
—Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tawdry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tawdry
Adjective
-
Friday was particularly unsettling as terrible jobs data slammed the market and triggered President Donald Trump .—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Aug. 2025
-
My heart goes out to all of the Jewish children, grandchildren and future great-grandchildren who must ultimately bear the brunt of the terrible additional worldwide antisemitism caused directly by the horrific actions of the Israeli government over the past two years.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
What was the strategic benefit to the US of all this geopolitical trumpery?—
Peter Bergen,
CNN,
28 May 2022
-
So will the border continue to vanish in the face of nativist backlash and a trumpery, gimcrack wall?—
Felipe Fernández-Armesto,
WSJ,
25 June 2018
Adjective
-
Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Other critical factors that led to several brands exiting Japan, like Ford in 2016, were insufficient product lineups, and a poor dealer network.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
For now, this is DeVries on the job: intent but measured, teeth ready to clamp down on his tongue, establishing standards while also very much trying to make sure his team isn’t miserable from the beginning.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
His Panthers opened the season with two miserable losses, complete with booing from fans in the home opener, and the 23-year-old soon became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era to be benched for non-injury reasons.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
In tonight’s episode, Aurora has more to worry about than mere frippery.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 June 2025
-
Buying the Original marks you as a practical person who cares not for frippery.—
Matthew Korfhage,
Wired News,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But today that moral arc is as twisted as a gnarled, rotten root, and God Bless America has been replaced by the mournful dirge of Taps.—
Marci Alborghetti,
Hartford Courant,
3 July 2025
-
The odor comes from a toxic gas that’s colorless and smells like rotten eggs.—
Tammy Murga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
The shot showed the royal couple all dressed up in their white-tie finery, including a triumphant tiara return for Princess Kate, standing outside in a picturesque setting.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
10 July 2025
-
The raising and readying of bulls is clearly expensive, as are the competitors’ finery and the administrative infrastructure of the sport.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Xfinity offers some of the cheapest plans available in Nashville, but prices may go up once the promotional period ends.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The 996 also felt cheap inside, borrowing interior trim from the Boxster—hardly fitting for a car with a base MSRP of $65,000 at the time.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tawdry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tawdry. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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