adjective
Related Words
See gaudy 1.
Other Word Forms
- garishly adverb
- garishness noun
Etymology
Origin of garish
1535–45; earlier gaurish, perhaps equivalent to obsolete gaure “to stare” ( Middle English gauren, from Old Norse ) + -ish 1
Explanation
Use the adjective garish to describe something that is overly vivid, bright, showy, and in bad taste — like the DJ's garish outfit that is a flashback to the disco era. Garish comes to English from the Old Norse word gaurr, meaning "rough fellow." It is often used to describe colors, clothing, decorations, and other things that can be elegant and tasteful. Because the word connotes bad taste, however, it is rarely used in a complimentary way. If you say to your friend, "I like your garish hair and makeup," she is not likely to take it well, unless, of course, you are going to a 70s flashback party.
Vocabulary lists containing garish
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Romeo and Juliet
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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.
Dozens of stores selling fireworks resembling flamethrowers and packaged in garish boxes saw little foot traffic on a weekday morning.
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
Watching the show felt like thumbing through TikTok, assaulted by walls of sound, garish ads and the occasional familiar face.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026
Now Britons are growing exasperated with a decorator whose tastes run to the intellectual equivalent of avocado-colored appliances and garish shag carpeting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
Despite some impressively garish trousers, YouTuber George Clarke hit a bum note with his Jive to Harry Styles' As It Was.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
The Ungers had three faux-Grecian birdbaths and a garish assortment of rose-and-blue-tinted lawn balls.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
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.
