garish

[ gair-ish, gar- ]

adjective

1. crudely or tastelessly colorful, showy, or elaborate, as clothes or decoration.

   Synonyms: tawdry, loud

2. excessively ornate or elaborate, as buildings or writings.
3. dressed in or ornamented with bright colors.
4. excessively bright; glaring.

garish

/ ˈɡɛərɪʃ /

adjective

1. gay or colourful in a crude or vulgar manner; gaudy

Derived Forms

• ˈgarishly, adverb
• ˈgarishness, noun

Other Words From

• garish·ly adverb
• garish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of garish¹

1535–45; earlier gaurish, perhaps equivalent to obsolete gaure “to stare” ( Middle English gauren, from Old Norse ) + -ish ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of garish¹

C16: from earlier gaure to stare + -ish

Synonym Study

See gaudy ¹.

Example Sentences

On social media, the foundation became famous for exposing the garish wealth of these elites.

From Time

I was one of them—I believe I referred to the film as “garish junk” in my review.

From Time

The last American man to win a round of the World Cup—the sport’s annual premier racing series—was David “Tinker” Juarez, and he did so in 1994, when riders wore ping pong ball-like foam helmets and garish neon racing attire.

From Outside Online

They stripped us of this prison’s wardrobe, that horrible garish yellow uniform, and we dressed in the clothes we brought.

From Washington Blade

Yet it was hard to know exactly what all these people were doing there, other than taking their place in a kind of Brownian-movement minuet under the cheerfully garish lights.

From Time

The entire structure has been newly painted in a variety of garish colors.

From The Daily Beast

It was like Halloween for a decade, and the colors were garish, and the style was just phenomenal for us to look back on.

From The Daily Beast

Named after the British actress Jane Birkin, the handbag has no garish logos.

From The Daily Beast

The value of these terms lies in their baroqueness, in the way they pile up upon each other like garish baubles.

From The Daily Beast

The extensive wood carvings inside and outside will be painted in garish colors, like this family room shown in a finished home.

From The Daily Beast

Two more years have yet to run before that garish and hideous date, prophetic of all that is bright and new and abominably raw.

From Project Gutenberg

It had a garish blue tunic reaching well below the hips and a black skirt bordered with blue.

From Project Gutenberg

He could not bear the noise, the garish light, the continued rumble and movement of the street.

From Project Gutenberg

Damask curtains of old rose and pale green, falling over a widow-shade of yellow lace, softened the garish light of day.

From Project Gutenberg

Usually, all was silent within its walls when the darkness fell; but this night a garish light flickered under the door.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gaudy
• glittering
• ornate
• ostentatious
• showy
• vulgar