tawdry
[ taw-dree ]
/ ˈtɔ dri /
adjective, taw·dri·er, taw·dri·est.
(of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap.
low or mean; base: tawdry motives.
noun
cheap, gaudy apparel.
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Nearby words
taverner, john, tavr, taw, tawa, tawai, tawdry, tawheowheo, tawhiri, tawie, tawney, tawney, richard henry
Origin of tawdry
1605–15; short for (Sain)t Audrey lace, i.e., neck lace bought at St. Audrey's Fair in Ely, England; so called after St. Audrey (Old English Aethelthrȳth, died 679), Northumbrian queen and patron saint of Ely, who, according to tradition, died of a throat tumor which she considered just punishment of her youthful liking for neck laces
Related formstaw·dri·ly, adverbtaw·dri·ness, nounun·taw·dry, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tawdry
British Dictionary definitions for tawdry
tawdry
/ (ˈtɔːdrɪ) /
adjective -drier or -driest
cheap, showy, and of poor qualitytawdry jewellery
Derived Formstawdrily, adverbtawdriness, noun
Word Origin for tawdry
C16 tawdry lace, shortened and altered from Seynt Audries lace, finery sold at the fair of St Audrey (Etheldrida), 7th-century queen of Northumbria and patron saint of Ely, Cambridgeshire
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for tawdry
tawdry
"cheap, showy, gaudy," 1670s, adjective use of noun tawdry "silk necktie for women" (1610s), shortened from tawdry lace (1540s), an alteration of St. Audrey's lace, a necktie or ribbon sold at the annual fair at Ely on Oct. 17 commemorating St. Audrey (queen of Northumbria, died 679). Her association with cheap lace necklaces is that she supposedly died of a throat tumor, which she considered God's punishment for her youthful fondness for showy necklaces [Bede].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper