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tawdriness

 - 2 dictionary results

taw⋅dry

  [taw-dree] adjective, -dri⋅er, -dri⋅est, noun
Use tawdriness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. (of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap.
2. low or mean; base: tawdry motives.
–noun
3. cheap, gaudy apparel.
Origin:
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 (OE Aethelthrȳth, d. 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 forms:
taw⋅dri⋅ly, adverb
taw⋅dri⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. flashy, meretricious.

Antonyms:
1. elegant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tawdriness
taw·dry   (tô'drē)   
adj.   taw·dri·er, taw·dri·est

  1. Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance. See Synonyms at gaudy1.

  2. Shameful or indecent: tawdry secrets.

n.  Cheap and gaudy finery.

[From tawdry lace, lace necktie, alteration of Saint Audrey's lace (sold at the annual Saint Audrey's fair, Ely, England), after Saint Audrey (Saint Etheldreda), queen of Northumbria, who died in 679 of a throat tumor, supposedly because she delighted in fancy necklaces as a young woman.]
taw'dri·ly adv., taw'dri·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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