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

Other Word Forms

• garishly adverb
• garishness 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

There now seems to be a bit of snickering immaturity in the film’s garish period trappings, though the emotional acuity and empathetic consideration of even the most minor of characters still makes “Boogie Nights” remarkable.

From Los Angeles Times

Where once they were garish young rockers buried under mascara, now they are garish older rockers, desperately hanging onto their youth.

From Los Angeles Times

Their old-money neighbors find the enormous, gleaming structure to be garish.

From Salon

The juxtaposition at the weekend was apt: one big, ugly bill in Washington and one big, garish wedding in Venice.

From Los Angeles Times

Beyond the garish headlines of Trump’s plan to accept a Boeing 747 as a gift from Qatar, new trends are emerging that will redefine the region, posing additional challenges for U.S. policy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gaudy 
• glittering www.thesaurus.com
• ornate 
• ostentatious 
• showy 
• vulgar