Standard Lemma guide

tawdry

adj · noun · 6 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɔːdɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈtɔ.dɹi/
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈtɑ.dɹi/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔːdɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: T AO1 D R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of clothing, appearance, etc., cheap and gaudy; showy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bedizened, blatant, blingish, brash, campy, catchpenny, chichi, chintzy, corny, crass, crude, flashy, flaunting, florid, flossy, froufrou, garish, gauche, gaudy, gay, glaring, gross, gussied up, hideous, kitsch, kitschy, loud, meretricious, naff, obtrusive, ostentatious, pizazzy, pretentious, ritzy, raffish, schlocky, showy, snazzy, splendiferous, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, tinselly, too much, trinkety, unbecoming, untasteful, vain, whorish, zesty

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a character, behavior, or situation, etc., unseemly, base, mean-spirited, shameful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sordid

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Tawdry lace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Anything gaudy and cheap; pretentious finery.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheapie, gaud, tack, cheapo, tawdry, ticky-tack

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

cheap and shoddy- Judith Crist

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • cheapjack moviemaking...that feeds on the low taste of the mob

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheapjack, shoddy

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

tastelessly showy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a flash car
  • a flashy ring
  • garish colors
  • a gaudy costume
  • loud sport shirts
  • a meretricious yet stylish book
  • tawdry ornaments

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky, tatty, trashy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Shortened from tawdry lace; originally a corruption and rebracketing of Saint Audrey lace (from Old English Æðelþrȳð). The lace necklaces sold to pilgrims to Saint Audrey fell out of fashion in the 17th century, and so tawdry was reinterpreted as meaning “cheap” or “vulgar”.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безвкусен (bezvkusen) — gaudy
  • Catalan: xaró — gaudy
  • Catalan: carrincló — gaudy
  • Czech: laciný — gaudy
  • Czech: nevkusný — gaudy
  • Czech: pouťový — gaudy
  • Dutch: smakeloos — gaudy
  • Dutch: opzichtig — gaudy
  • Dutch: kitscherig — gaudy
  • French: kitsch — gaudy
  • French: tape-à-l’œil — gaudy
  • German: kitschig — gaudy
  • German: geschmacklos — gaudy
  • German: flitterhaft — gaudy
  • German: bunt — gaudy
  • German: aufgetakelt — gaudy
  • German: aufgedonnert — gaudy
  • Greek: αγιοβασιλιάτικος (agiovasiliátikos) — gaudy
  • Macedonian: бе́звкусен (bézvkusen) — gaudy
  • Portuguese: espalhafatoso — gaudy
  • Portuguese: mixuruca — gaudy
  • Russian: безвку́сный (bezvkúsnyj) — gaudy
  • Sicilian: zagurdu — gaudy
  • Sicilian: zallu — gaudy
  • Sicilian: zurbu — gaudy
  • Sicilian: zannu — gaudy
  • Spanish: hortera — gaudy
  • Spanish: chabacano — gaudy
  • Spanish: charro — gaudy
  • Turkish: rüküş — gaudy
  • Czech: mrzký — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • Czech: přízemní — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: schäbig — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: ungehörig — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: unschicklich — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: ungebührlich — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: unziemlich — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: unziemend — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: verkommen — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid
  • German: gemein — unseemly, base, shameful, sordid