Standard Lemma guide

gewgaw

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈɡjuːɡɔː/
  • General-American: /ˈɡ(j)uɡɔ/
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˈɡ(j)uɡɑ/
  • US: cot-caught Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G Y UW1 G AA0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Showy; unreal; pretentious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament or decoration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bangle, bauble, gaud, novelty, fallal, trinket

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adornment

History

Etymology

From earlier gugaw, gygaw, from Middle English givegove (“gewgaw, trifle”), a reduplication of Middle English give, geove (“gift”), from Old English giefu, geofu, geafu (“gift”), from Proto-Germanic *gebō (“gift”). Compare Icelandic gyligjöf (“showy gifts, gewgaw”). More at give.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дрънкулка (drǎnkulka) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Czech: cetka — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Finnish: koriste — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Finnish: prenikka — a showy trifle, a toy
  • French: bibelot — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Georgian: ზიზილ-პიპილები (zizil-ṗiṗilebi) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Georgian: სათამაშო (satamašo) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Georgian: დეკორაცია (deḳoracia) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Georgian: სამშვენისი (samšvenisi) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Polish: świecidełko — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Portuguese: badulaque — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Russian: безделу́шка (bezdelúška) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Russian: безделица (bezdelica) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Russian: побрякушка (pobrjakuška) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Russian: мишура (mišura) — a showy trifle, a toy
  • Swedish: lullull — a showy trifle, a toy