tawdry
adjective
(of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap.
tawdriness
-
a word derived from
tawdry.
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.
His story is a little rushed but we get the idea that Tim’s not a jerk, just an idealist who can’t handle the tawdriness of the 21st century.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
Jerry Springer, whose chaotic talk show set a new standard for tawdriness on American TV, died yesterday.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
Where Springer was wry and detached from the tawdriness of his show, Kyle seemed fully invested in it.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2020
When Hulk Hogan faced off in court against the Web site Gawker, earlier this year, it was easy to become distracted by the rococo tawdriness of the spectacle.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 11, 2016
Then for the first time he realised something of the tawdriness of this life of pleasure, which seemed ever calling to him through the open windows of his lonely room.
From The Survivor by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
