kitsch

See also Kitsch

English

WOTD - 119 September 2008    

Wikipedia

Etymology

From German Kitsch, from dialectal kitschen (“to coat, to smear”), the word and concept were popularized in the 1930's by several critics who opposed it to avant garde art.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: kĭch, IPA: /kɪtʃ/, SAMPA: /kItS/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtʃ

Noun

kitsch (uncountable)

1. Art, decorative objects and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.
   • 1939, Clement Greenberg, "Avant Garde and Kitsch", The Partisan Review,

     Because it can be turned out mechanically, kitsch has become an integral part of our productive system in a way in which true culture could never be, except accidentally.

Synonyms

• camp

Related terms

• kitschy

Translations

kitsch

Croatian: kȉč (hr) m. Dutch: kitsch (nl) Esperanto: kiĉo (eo) Finnish: rihkama (fi), kitsi (fi), kitsch (fi) French: kitsch (fr) German: Kitsch (de) m.

Greek: κιτς (el) (kits) Hebrew: קיטש (he) Hungarian: giccs (hu) Italian: kitsch (it) Macedonian: кич (mk) (kič) m. Polish: kicz (pl) Spanish: kitsch (es) m.

Adjective

kitsch (comparative kitscher or more kitsch, superlative kitschest or most kitsch)

1. Said especially of art and decor that is considered of questionable aesthetic value; excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.
   • 1989, Graham Greene, Yours etc: Letters to the Press 1945-1989, ISBN 1871061229, p. 243,

     […] a picture of lemur-eyed children of the sort one sees in the kitscher sort of Italian restaurant […]

   • 1996, Robert Silberman, "The stuff of art: Judy Onofrio", American Craft, Jun/Jul 1996, pp. 40-45,

     Abe Lincoln, Paul Bunyan and kitsch souvenir coconut heads come across as icons of masculinity.

   • 2005, Ronald Frame, "Critical Paranoia", Michigan Quarterly Review, Spring 2005, p. 285,

     I recognized her at once even though she wasn't wearing the tweed hunting outfit and the kitsch headwear.

Usage notes

• Although the forms kitscher and kitschest are attested, those formed on kitschy are more common, particularly for the comparative.

Synonyms

• corny

Translations

of questionable aesthetic value

Finnish: kitsahtava (fi), kruusattu (fi) French: kitsch (fr), quétaine (fr) (Quebec) German: kitschig (de)

Hungarian: giccses (hu) Macedonian: кичест (mk) (kíčest) m. Spanish: kitsch (es)

Anagrams

• shtick

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Italian

Etymology

German

Adjective

kitsch inv.

1. kitsch

Noun

kitsch m. inv.

1. kitsch

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• (Swedish) IPA: /kɪtɧ/

Noun

kitsch c. (uncountable)

1. kitsch

   Min mosters handmålade madonnastaty i elfenben är ren kitsch.

   “My aunt’s hand-painted ivory Madonna statue is pure kitsch.”

Derived terms

• kitschig