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
We’ve been conditioned to expect something specific from memoirs by children of notable people: escape narratives that reveal the tawdriness or tyranny behind the parent’s publicly charming facade and chart the child’s quest for individuality.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
No doubt some of its tawdriness was dragged along in the wake of the hotel’s guests and residents, who could enter through a door in the lobby.
From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2022
But its enthusiastic tawdriness is still captivating, as attested by the reboot’s decent ratings.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 14, 2019
The first impression which one receives upon entering the inner precincts of the kraton is of tawdriness and dilapidation.
From Where the Strange Trails Go Down Sulu, Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Cambodia, Annam, Cochin-China by E. Alexander (Edward Alexander) Powell
