garish

adjective

gar·​ish ˈger-ish How to pronounce garish (audio)
1
: clothed in vivid colors
a garish clown
2
a
: excessively or disturbingly vivid
garish colors
garish imagery
b
: offensively or distressingly bright : glaring
3
: tastelessly showy : flashy
garish neon signs
garishly adverb
garishness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for garish

gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious mean vulgarly or cheaply showy.

gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

Examples of garish in a Sentence

the wedding guest's thick makeup was garish and unnecessary
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And Susie Cullen’s production design turns typical markers of a fine-dining environment — windowless bathroom stalls; orange mood lighting; a stoic staff — into elements of a garish nightmare. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025 Ledger ingeniously plays the Joker as a chaotic force of nature, a scarred and unknowable ghoul clad in clown paint and a garish suit from Demon's Wearhouse. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025 Most were painted in loud, garish colors — putrid green, neon yellow — unusual in contemporary painting. Adam Moss, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025 Every year tuners like Mansory and Brabus release garish reworkings of some of the most coveted cars on the planet. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garish

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of garish was in 1545

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Garish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garish. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

garish

adjective
gar·​ish ˈga(ə)r-ish How to pronounce garish (audio)
ˈge(ə)r-
: too bright or showy : gaudy
garishly adverb
garishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on garish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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