Standard Lemma guide

glitz

noun · verb · 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.

  • /ɡlɪts/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪts
  • CMU ARPABET: G L IH1 T S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Garish, brilliant showiness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The glitz of the award ceremony was obvious.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make glitzy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glitz up

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

tasteless showiness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, loudness, brashness, meretriciousness, tawdriness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tastelessness

History

Etymology

Back-formation from glitzy, in turn from German glitzern (“glint”). Cognate with Old Norse glitra, glita (“glitter”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌻𐌹𐍄𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (glitmunjan, “glisten”).

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: blits — brilliant showiness
  • Finnish: kimallus — brilliant showiness
  • Finnish: loisto — brilliant showiness
  • German: Pomp — brilliant showiness
  • Ottoman Turkish: سوس (süs) — brilliant showiness