ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Meretricious

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˌmɛɹɪˈtɹɪʃəs/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Meretricious is an adjective meaning Tastelessly gaudy; superficially attractive but having in reality no value or substance; falsely alluring.

Meaning

Tastelessly gaudy; superficially attractive but having in reality no value or substance; falsely alluring.

More Meanings

  1. (law) Involving unlawful sexual connection or lack of consent by at least one party (said of a romantic relationship).
  2. (obsolete) Of, or relating to prostitutes or prostitution.

Example Sentences

There is nothing showy or meretricious about the man.
Gloriani’s statues were florid and meretricious; they looked like magnified goldsmith’s work.
What is art beside love? I respect and applaud your indifference to fine poetry when you can contemplate the meretricious charms of this young person.
When I lifted my eyes from the page, there was none of the meretricious argument London always offers that the sole real purpose in life is to hustle for a buck.

Synonyms for meretricious

Depending on context, synonyms include brassy, cheap, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include gimcrack, garish, gaudy, tawdry, flashy, insincere.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.