garish

English

Etymology

[1540s], of unknown origin, possibly from obsolete Middle English gawren (“to stare”) which is of uncertain origin, probably from Old Norse gá (“to watch, heed”) or gaurr (“rough fellow”) (Proto-Indo-European *gʰow-rós, from *gʰew- (“to be angry”)). Compare with English gaw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛəɹɪʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

garish (comparative more garish, superlative most garish)

1. Overly ostentatious; so colourful as to be in bad taste.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:gaudy

   The dress fits her well, but the pattern is rather garish.

   • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt

     "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects; […]."

   • 2003 August 10, Ken Keeler, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings", Futurama, season 5, episode 16, Fox Broadcasting Company

     Leela: He gave me mechanical ears / Effective though just a bit garish.

   • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 57:

     She also said that Thameslink trains were deliberately garish, so as to lure drivers stuck on the M1, which runs alongside the line around Radlett.

Derived terms

• garishly
• garishness

Translations

overly ostentatious; so colourful as to be in bad taste

• Bulgarian: ярък (bg) (jarǎk), крещящ (bg) (kreštjašt), показен (bg) (pokazen)
• Dutch: wansmakelijk (nl), schreeuwlelijk (nl)
• Finnish: räikeä (fi)
• French: criard (fr), tape-à-l’œil (fr), voyant (fr) m
• Georgian: მყვირალა (mq̇virala), თვალშისაცემი (tvalšisacemi)
• German: grell (de), protzig (de), auffallend (de), aufdringlich (de), knallig, knallbunt, schreiend bunt
• Greek: χτυπητός (el) (chtypitós), φανταχτερός (el) (fantachterós), κακόγουστος (el) m (kakógoustos)
• Hungarian: feltűnő (hu), rikító (hu), ízléstelen (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pacchiano (it), appariscente (it), vistoso (it) m, chiassoso (it) m, sgargiante (it)
• Polish: jaskrawy (pl) m, krzykliwy (pl) m
• Portuguese: garrido (pt) m
• Romanian: bătător la ochi, ţipător (ro), strident (ro)
• Russian: крича́щий (ru) (kričáščij), показно́й (ru) (pokaznój)
• Spanish: gárrido m
• Swedish: gräll (sv)

Anagrams

• Harigs, girahs, girsha