meretricious
- alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry.
- based on pretense, deception, or insincerity.
- pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.
Origin of meretricious
Synonyms for meretricious
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for meretricious
blatant, bogus, brazen, chintzy, counterfeit, garish, glaring, insincere, loud, misleading, ornate, phony, plastic, sham, showy, spurious, superficial, tawdry, trashy, put-onExamples from the Web for meretricious
Contemporary Examples of meretricious
Now that Laura has been revealed to be little more than a collection of notes, the debate seems silly, meretricious.
Historical Examples of meretricious
It is so beautiful that I'm dreadfully afraid it is meretricious.
A Venetian JuneAnna Fuller
There is not a meretricious or humiliating book in the whole collection.
The Greatest English ClassicCleland Boyd McAfee
There is nothing showy or clever, nothing cheap or meretricious in all their work.
Chats on Royal Copenhagen PorcelainArthur Hayden
She was half-angry with him in the carriage, and said something about meretricious manners.
Barchester TowersAnthony Trollope
She fought against it from an instinctive feeling that it was meretricious.
CoquetteFrank Swinnerton
meretricious
- superficially or garishly attractive
- insinceremeretricious praise
- archaic of, like, or relating to a prostitute
Word Origin for meretricious
Word Origin and History for meretricious
1620s, "pertaining to harlots," from Latin meretricius "of or pertaining to prostitutes," from meretrix (genitive meretricis) "prostitute," literally "woman who earns money," from merere, mereri "to earn, gain" (see merit (n.)). Meaning "gaudily alluring" is from 1630s. Related: Meretriciously; meretriciousness.