Oscar WildeJohn F. BurnsJonathan Mahler
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In the 7th century, Etheldreda, the queen of Northumbria, renounced her husband and her royal position in order to become a nun. She was renowned for her saintliness and is said to have died of a swelling in her throat, which she took as a judgment upon her fondness for wearing necklaces in her youth. Her shrine became a principal site of pilgrimage in England. An annual fair was held in her honor on October 17th, and her name became simplified to St. Audrey. At these fairs various kinds of cheap knickknacks were sold, along with a type of necklace called St. Audrey's lace, which by the 16th century had become altered to tawdry lace. Eventually, tawdry came to be used to describe anything cheap and gaudy that might be found at these fairs or anywhere else.
Examples of tawdry in a Sentence
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2024
Paparazzi stalked him for tawdry headlines about his divorce with his first wife, Sadie Frost, in 2003, and he was even hacked by the U.K. tabloid News of the World, under secret surveillance for years without knowing it.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
Donahue’s popularity at that point had been far outpaced by Springer’s more tawdry brand.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near tawdry
Cite this Entry
“Tawdry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tawdry. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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