schlock

American  

[shlok] / ʃlɒk /

Or shlock

adjective

1. Also cheap; trashy.

   a schlock store.

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noun

1. something of cheap or inferior quality; junk.

schlock British  

/ ʃlɒk /

noun

1. goods or produce of cheap or inferior quality; trash

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adjective

1. cheap, inferior, or trashy

Etymology

Origin of schlock

First recorded in 1910–15; apparently from Yiddish shlak “apoplectic stroke, evil, nuisance, wretch” (compare Middle High German slac(g) “blow”; see slay); development of the English sense is unclear

Explanation

Schlock is cheap, shoddy stuff that's for sale. You might browse through a gift shop hoping to buy the perfect memento, but find nothing but schlock. Schlock isn't made well, and it's not really worth much. It's an informal word for trashy, junky merchandise — or trashy, low-rent movies, TV shows, or other entertainment. Your grandmother might gasp, "Why are you watching that schlock?" when she sees the terrible reality show you've got on the television. The North American schlock comes from the Yiddish word shlak, "a stroke" or "junk," from the German Schlacke, "dregs," "slag," or "refuse."

Example Sentences

For those who think of late-career Elvis Presley as only a plump has-been, a gaudy Las Vegas crooner slinging schlock in the 1970s, Baz Luhrmann’s new movie is a bracing corrective.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

Seyfried props the movie up with some much-needed prestige, saving it from complete schlock status.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

The "AI schlock", as McDonald puts it, was evidently not in Foley's "Texas singer-songwriter from the heart" style.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

This recycled trash is no treasure, but I’m betting the majority of this redo’s audience will be young enough to find ’90s-style schlock adorably quaint.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

Hilariously, what that means is I am often served ads for this schlock:

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2023