tawdry — showy but cheap and of poor quality; morally degraded
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: showy but cheap and of poor quality; morally degraded
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtɔːdri/
Example Sentences
- The celebrity's tawdry mansion was full of gold-plated everything but had no class.
- She refused to wear the tawdry costume jewelry to the elegant dinner.
- The newspaper avoided reporting the tawdry details of the scandal.
tawdry
ADJECTIVE[/ˈtɔːdri/]
showy but cheap and of poor quality; morally degraded
The tawdry souvenirs at the roadside stall looked shiny but felt cheap.
Tawdry goods: gaudy shine, shoddy design!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Saint Audrey (Etheldreda), a 7th-century English saint whose feast day was celebrated with a fair in Norfolk where cheap lace and trinkets were sold. The phrase 'Saint Audrey's lace' was shortened to 'tawdry' and came to mean cheap, flashy goods of poor quality.
Breakdown
Saint Audrey's lace → tawdry (no longer productively decomposable; the morphological connection to the saint's name is now opaque to modern speakers)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The celebrity's tawdry mansion was full of gold-plated everything but had no class.”
“She refused to wear the tawdry costume jewelry to the elegant dinner.”
“The newspaper avoided reporting the tawdry details of the scandal.”
“His tawdry pickup lines made everyone at the bar cringe.”
📚Related Words
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