Meretricious (original) (raw)
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
Example:
a meretricious argument
Synonyms:
gilded; glossy; meretricious; specious
Classified under:
Similar:
insincere (lacking sincerity)
Derivation:
meretriciousness (an appearance of truth that is false or deceptive; seeming plausibility)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Tastelessly showy
Example:
tawdry ornaments
Synonyms:
brassy; cheap; flash; flashy; garish; gaudy; gimcrack; loud; meretricious; tacky; tatty; tawdry; trashy
Classified under:
Similar:
tasteless (lacking aesthetic or social taste)
Derivation:
meretriciousness (tasteless showiness)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Like or relating to a prostitute
Example:
meretricious relationships
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Domain usage:
archaicism; archaism (the use of an archaic expression)
Pertainym:
prostitute (a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money)