 meretricious |
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| 1. | [ adjective ] tastelessly showy | |
| Synonyms: | gaudy cheap loud flashy tawdry tacky tatty garish trashy gimcrack flash brassy | |
| Examples: | "a flash car" "a flashy ring" "garish colors" "a gaudy costume" "loud sport shirts" "a meretricious yet stylish book" "tawdry ornaments" |
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| Related terms: | tasteless | |
| 2. | [ adjective ] (archaic) like or relating to a prostitute | |
| Examples: | "meretricious relationships" |
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| Related terms: | archaism prostitute | |
| 3. | [ adjective ] based on pretense; deceptively pleasing | |
| Synonyms: | specious gilded | |
| Examples: | "the gilded and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility" "meretricious praise" "a meretricious argument" |
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| Related terms: | insincere | |
| Similar spelling: |
meretriciously |
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