gaudy
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Etymology 1
Origin uncertain; perhaps from gaud (“ornament, trinket”), itself perhaps from Old French gaudir (“to rejoice”).
A common claim that the word derives from Antoni Gaudí, designer of Barcelona's Sagrada Família Basilica, is not supported by evidence (the word was in use at least half a century before Gaudí was born).
[edit] Adjective
gaudy (comparative gaudier, superlative gaudiest)
- Very showy or ornamented, now especially when excessive, or in a tasteless or vulgar manner.
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice:
- The rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of its proprietor; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine; with less of splendour, and more real elegance, than the furniture of Rosings.
- 2005, Thomas Hauser & Marilyn Cole Lownes, "How Bling-bling Took Over the Ring", The Observer, 9 January 2005:
- Gaudy jewellery might offend some people's sense of style. But former heavyweight champion and grilling-machine entrepreneur George Foreman is philosophical about today's craze for bling-bling.
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice:
[edit] Synonyms
- (excessively showy): tawdry, flashy, garish
- Wikisaurus:gaudy
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
very showy or ornamented
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[edit] Etymology 2
From Latin gaudium "joy".
[edit] Noun
gaudy (plural gaudies)
- A reunion held by one of the colleges of the University of Oxford for alumni, normally held during the summer vacations.
