tinsel
Americannoun
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a glittering metallic substance, as copper or brass, in thin sheets, used in pieces, strips, threads, etc., to produce a sparkling effect cheaply.
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a metallic yarn, usually wrapped around a core yarn of silk, rayon, or cotton, for weaving brocade or lamé.
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anything showy or attractive with little or no real worth; showy pretense.
The actress was tired of the fantasy and tinsel of her life.
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Obsolete. a fabric, formerly in use, of silk or wool interwoven with threads of gold, silver, or, later, copper.
verb (used with object)
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to adorn with tinsel.
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to adorn with anything glittering.
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to make showy or gaudy.
noun
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a decoration consisting of a piece of string with thin strips of metal foil attached along its length
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a yarn or fabric interwoven with strands of glittering thread
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anything cheap, showy, and gaudy
verb
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to decorate with or as if with tinsel
snow tinsels the trees
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to give a gaudy appearance to
adjective
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made of or decorated with tinsel
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showily but cheaply attractive; gaudy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tinsel
First recorded in 1495–1505; by shortening of Middle French estincelle ( Old French estincele ) “a spark, flash,” from Vulgar Latin stincilla, unrecorded variant of Latin scintilla; first used attributively in phrases tinsel satin, tinsel cloth; see scintilla
Explanation
The shiny silver strands hanging from the branches of a Christmas tree are called tinsel. Tinsel is older than you might think—it was invented in 1610! Tinsel was designed to mimic the way ice looks, and the earliest tinsel was made from strips of real silver (today's tinsel is PVC plastic with a metallic coating). It's a traditional Christmas decoration that is also frequently used in India for wedding celebrations and other ceremonies. You can also use the word tinsel to refer to things that look fancy but are actually worthless—which is where Hollywood's nickname, Tinseltown, comes from.
Vocabulary lists containing tinsel
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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Miracles on Maple Hill
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for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
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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.
“For that, we added lots of swallow-tailed ribbons for an extra pop of color … underneath all the tinsel which is Zooey’s absolute favorite!” he added.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025
Marks & Spencer noted strong sales of its tinsel rosettes and tinsel tree skirts this year, while John Lewis said sales of "retro-nostalgic decor" had soared 180% in 2025.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
But this year, her living room is an explosion of colour, bedecked with foil stars, tinsel and homemade paper chains and ribbon garlands.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
Griffiths doesn’t fight against the formula, he just takes our expectations for every scene and gingers them up a little, the movie version of a cozy sweater threaded with tinsel.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025
It was in the back seat of the car, strewn with tinsel.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
