Link Centre Dictionary

tawdry

UK/ˈtɔːdɹi/ US/ˈtɔ.dɹi/ uncommon obsolete

adjective

1.

tastelessly showy

  • “a flash car”
  • “a flashy ring”
  • “garish colors”
  • “a gaudy costume”
  • “loud sport shirts”
  • “a meretricious yet stylish book”
  • “tawdry ornaments”
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2.

cheap and shoddy

  • “cheapjack moviemaking...that feeds on the low taste of the mob” Judith Crist
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Origin

Shortened from tawdry lace; originally a corruption and rebracketing of Saint Audrey lace (from Old English Æðelþrȳð). The lace necklaces sold to pilgrims to Saint Audrey fell out of fashion in the 17th century, and so tawdry was reinterpreted as meaning “cheap” or “vulgar”.

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.