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

Ragoravich’s dacha is a “garish and almost grotesque” palace clad in marble that makes Maggie think of Versailles, but in a way that makes Versailles seem dumpy.

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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.

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

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

Read more on Salon

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

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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