kitsch
Americannoun
noun
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Kitsch in literature and music is associated with sentimentalism as well as bad taste.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of kitsch
First recorded in 1925–30; from German, derivative of kitschen “to throw together (a work of art)”
Explanation
Kitsch is art that's garish, nostalgic, and very low-brow. Some people who love the aesthetics of souvenir culture think kitsch is really cool, while others think it's in very poor taste. Kitsch is a German word that's been adopted into English, meaning "worthless, trashy art," or the quality of that art. A ceramic figurine of a puppy with sad eyes is pretty kitsch, as is a velvet Elvis painting. Of course some people think that kitsch is really beautiful and fill their homes with stuff that other people consider trashy souvenirs. If your painting teacher tells you your portraits are kitsch, that's probably not a compliment.
Vocabulary lists containing kitsch
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Sometimes the Girl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The show was "not cool" in the 1980s and 1990s and was dismissed as unappreciated kitsch in the West when eastern European countries joined, Jordan said.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Touches of Midcentury Modern kitsch include a starburst clock on the restaurant’s roadside sign, marking its place along Route 66.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The album is overstuffed, eccentric, kitsch, dramatic and a little bit exhausting.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
The Robin Hood legend is one that can always stand up to a retelling, though remaking anything like the ’38 “Adventures of Robin Hood”—at least in the same tone of voice—would result in kitsch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
The truck stop was a wonderland of Southern kitsch.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
