gewgaw

American  

[gyoo-gaw, goo-] / ˈgyu gɔ, ˈgu- /

Also geegaw

noun

1. something gaudy and useless; trinket; bauble.

---

gewgaw British  

/ ˈɡuː-, ˈɡjuːɡɔː /

noun

1. a showy but valueless trinket

---

adjective

1. showy and valueless; gaudy

Other Word Forms

• gewgawed adjective

Etymology

Origin of gewgaw

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English giuegaue; gradational compound of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to Middle French, French gogo (see (à) gogo )

Explanation

A gewgaw is a little ornament or piece of jewelry. Gewgaws are cheap and don't have any purpose besides decoration. Gewgaws, which go on clothing or are worn as jewelry, are small and ornamental little bits of decoration. They’re not valuable or useful. A diamond would never be considered a gewgaw, because it's so precious. Gewgaws are good for brightening up an outfit. Pieces of jewelry, especially when they're flashy and cheap, can be called gewgaws. The silly sound of this word is a reminder that gewgaws are insubstantial. A gewgaw can also be called a bauble, novelty, or trinket.

Example Sentences

This apparent stance toward art is at once moronic and apt; moronic because it reduces art to a mere gewgaw, apt because other entrepreneurs have already embraced this view.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2021

Gewgaw, a shiny trinket Bon Voyage A trinket or a knickknack, an ornament, a kickshaw, a frippery, a gimcrack, a bibelot, a gewgaw .

From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2021

The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2019

Incredibles 2 treats this question like a philosophical gewgaw, to be considered only until boredom sets in.

From Slate • Jun. 15, 2018

“I reckon ’tis some gewgaw of the young ladies.

From Nan Sherwood at Lakeview Hall Or the Mystery of the Haunted Boathouse by Carr, Annie Roe

Related Words

• bauble
• trifle
• trinket