gaudy

¹

[gaw-dee]

adjective

gaudier, gaudiest 

1. brilliantly or excessively showy.

   gaudy plumage.

2. cheaply showy in a tasteless way; flashy.

   Synonyms: obvious, conspicuous, loud, tawdry
   Antonyms: sober, modest

3. ostentatiously ornamented; garish.

gaudy

²

[gaw-dee]

noun

British.

plural

gaudies 

1. a festival or celebration, especially an annual college feast.

gaudy

¹

/ ˈɡɔːdɪ /

adjective

1. gay, bright, or colourful in a crude or vulgar manner; garish

gaudy

²

/ ˈɡɔːdɪ /

noun

1. a celebratory festival or feast held at some schools and colleges

Other Word Forms

• gaudiness noun
• gaudily adverb
• ungaudily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaudy¹

First recorded in 1520–30; originally attributive use of gaudy ² ( def. ); later taken as a derivative of gaud ( def. )

Origin of gaudy²

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin gaudium joy, delight

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaudy¹

C16: from _gaud

Origin of gaudy²

C16: from Latin gaudium joy, from gaudēre to rejoice

Synonym Study

Gaudy, flashy, garish, showy agree in the idea of conspicuousness and, often, bad taste. That which is gaudy challenges the eye, as by brilliant colors or evident cost, and is not in good taste: a gaudy hat. Flashy suggests insistent and vulgar display, in rather a sporty manner: a flashy necktie. Garish suggests a glaring brightness, or crude vividness of color, and too much ornamentation: garish decorations. Showy applies to that which is strikingly conspicuous, but not necessarily offensive to good taste: a garden of showy flowers; a showy dress.

Example Sentences

But of all the gaudy statistics that Rantanen has compiled this year, the most remarkable number of his season so far might be how many times he was traded: Two.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Dart didn’t post gaudy numbers with just 111 passing yards, and he showed plenty of room for growth by taking five sacks.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

And as Herndon pointed out, “in time Lincoln’s style changed: he became more eloquent but with less gaudy ornamentation. He grew in oratorical power, dropping gradually the alliteration and rosy metaphor of youth.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In the land of the living, Heiyahas fully come into her own and is fashion-forward, adorned with gaudy jewelry, along with a denim jacket and miniskirt.

Read more on Salon

The writer Morrow Mayo seldom minced words, especially when his subject was the gaudy, tawdry city where he made his home in the 1920s and 1930s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brilliant 
• flashy 
• garish 
• jazzy 
• ostentatious 
• showy 
• snazzy 
• splashy