gar·ish

[gair-ish, gar-]
adjective
1.
crudely or tastelessly colorful, showy, or elaborate, as clothes or decoration.
2.
excessively ornate or elaborate, as buildings or writings.
3.
dressed in or ornamented with bright colors.
4.
excessively bright; glaring.

Origin:
1535–45; earlier gaurish, perhaps equivalent to obsolete gaure to stare (Middle English gauren < Old Norse) + -ish1

gar·ish·ly, adverb
gar·ish·ness, noun


1. loud, tawdry. See gaudy1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Garish is a GRE word you need to know.
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a stone, ring, or other object supposed to possess occult powers to be worn as an amulet or charm
an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent
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World English Dictionary
garish (ˈɡɛərɪʃ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
gay or colourful in a crude or vulgar manner; gaudy
 
[C16: from earlier gaure to stare + -ish]
 
'garishly
 
adv
 
'garishness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

garish
1545, possibly from M.E. gawren "to stare," which is of unknown origin, perhaps from O.N. gaurr "rough fellow."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
And they have more garish, naughty and irreverent song-and-dance routines than
  you can shake a scepter at.
The lines between garish kitsch and substantive reality have been annihilated.
The colors are bright and garish, and the effect of many of his prints is that
  of a photo negative, or an infrared photo.
The drably colored but busy text and borders that frame each letter, however,
  accentuate the garish tones of the art.
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