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

Kailey Kernick knew she was in trouble when yet another luxury-label boutique moved into Miami’s most chichi shopping area this month.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 24, 2021

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

The derivation appears to be from chichi, a dog, mecatl, a rope.

From American Hero-Myths A Study in the Native Religions of the Western Continent by Brinton, Daniel Garrison