chichi

American  

[shee-shee] / ˈʃiˌʃi /

adjective

1. showily or affectedly elegant or trendy; pretentious.

   Synonyms:

   flamboyant, ostentatious, flashy

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noun

1. a chichi person or thing.

2. the quality of being chichi.

chichi ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃiːˌtʃiː /

noun

1. Also (less common): chee-chee. 

   1. a person of mixed British and Indian descent; Anglo-Indian

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chichi accent

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chichi ² British  

/ ˈʃiːˌʃiː /

adjective

1. affectedly pretty or stylish

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noun

1. the quality of being affectedly pretty or stylish

Etymology

Origin of chichi

Borrowed into English from French around 1905–10

Example Sentences

It was a nice hotel, in a chichi part of town, with a bar called the American Bar.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2025

Traffic from West L.A. was horrible, of course, and by the time we reached our destination — some chichi Italian place — we were very hungry.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2021

I told Mr. Hastings that, given all the poaching that the big-spending Netflix does, I’m surprised that some Disney executive hasn’t thrown a drink in his face at a chichi restaurant, “Appointment in Samarra” style.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2020

“After eating the chichi for 21 years? That was delicious,” he said, referencing a prison concoction of ramen noodles, cheese curls, summer sausage, and pickles.

From Washington Times • Feb. 8, 2020

“An’ if you chiv lully dantymengro where juckos kair panny, a’ter they soom it they won’t jāl adoi chichi no moreus, an’ won’t mutter in dovo tan, and you can keep it cleanus.”

From The English Gipsies and Their Language by Leland, Charles Godfrey