meretricious
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌmɛrəˈtrɪʃəs/
- Formal
- Publishers investing in meretricious best-sellers protect their investments by bribery and blackmail.
- vulgar and meretricious
- seem meretricious
Examples
-
Wholly meretricious; they are no more linked than cars and guns.
Blog text (32) -
Don't pretend to be surprised; it makes you look meretricious.
Blog text (18) -
Bowen's reticence extends to holding back from judgment, so that we are usually expected to detect the gimcrack and the meretricious for ourselves.
Academic text (2000) -
To some who are accustomed to self-effacement, this can seem immodest and meretricious, but it is only honest dealing; the relativity which follows the death of the absolute must include the critic.
Academic text (1993) -
The advertisement was criticized for its meretricious claims, promising much more than it delivered.
-
Despite its flashy design, the product ultimately proved to be meretricious and disappointing.
-
Many movies rely on meretricious effects to draw viewers in, but they often lack a compelling story.
Synonyms
202
5.3
Trying to seem real to deceive people
168
5.6
Very showy with bright colors or too many decorations
76
4.3
Showy in a cheap way that looks bad
67
7.3
Trying to seem more important or clever than you really are
60
4.1
Very bright or showy in a way that attracts attention
39
3.7
Cheap and low quality that looks ugly or not stylish
33
6.5
Being very bright and showy to attract attention
24
7.8
A thing that looks showy but is cheap and low quality
20
7.9
Has a showy look that hides little real value
20
5.5
Very bright and showy in a way that looks bad
15
8.7
Appearing true but actually wrong
15
4.3
Looking attractive and expensive but not actually good
14
6.7
Very bright and showy in a way that hurts the eyes
11
7.7
To show off very expensive things to attract attention
9
3.2
Bright or fancy in a way that draws attention
6
7.2
Bold and showy in a way people may find rude
4
1.8
Too bright and showy in a way that looks bad
3
7.4
Showy in a way meant to attract attention
1
7.4
Showy and cheap in a way that looks low quality
1
7.4
Shiny and showy but cheap, like tinsel
Showing off things or yourself to get attention
Antonyms
How Showy
Surface Forms
Morphology
meretricious = meretric + ious
Although formed with the productive suffix '-ious', the stem 'meretric-' is not a recognizable modern English base, so learners cannot derive the meaning 'flashy but lacking real value' from its parts.
Etymology
Meretricious comes from the Latin meretrix, which means 'prostitute', and was used for things that try to attract people with bright, showy looks. So, meretricious describes something that looks attractive or clever but is actually 'flashy' and without real value or honesty.