taw
dry
Comparative
more tawdry
Superlative
most tawdry
1
gaudy or attention‑seeking in appearance, but lacking real value, refinement, or taste
- The ballroom was decorated with tawdry tinsel and plastic jewels.
- Her tawdry costume sparkled under the lights but looked flimsy up close.
- The shop was full of tawdry souvenirs aimed at unsuspecting tourists.
- His tawdry performance tried to dazzle but felt hollow.
- The flashy ad campaign gave the product a tawdry, insincere image.
2
immoral, shameful, or disreputable; often describing actions, situations, or reputations that feel morally degraded or sleazy
- The scandal revealed tawdry details about the politician's private life.
- They were caught in a tawdry scheme to defraud investors.
- The novel explored the tawdry underworld of the city.
- It was a tawdry episode in the history of the organization.
- Gossip magazines thrived on such tawdry revelations.