meretricious • \mair-uh-TRISH-us\ • adjective. 1 : of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution 2 a : tawdrily and falsely attractive b : superficially significant : pretentious.

How do you use meretricious in a sentence?

Meretricious in a Sentence ?

1. Because of Christie’s meretricious style of dressing, she has often been mistaken for a prostitute and has received a number of indecent proposals.
2. If my mother-in-law didn’t decorate her house with so many meretricious knickknacks, it would be a more comfortable place to visit.

Which is the best definition of meretricious?

adjective. alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry. based on pretense, deception, or insincerity. pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.

What is the opposite of meretricious?

meretricious. Antonyms: solid, good, chaste, simple, pure. Synonyms: tricksy, unchaste, gaudy, impure, tawdry, flashy.

What does meretricious beauty mean?

First, let’s provide a dictionary definition of the unusual word “meretricious”. apparently attractive but having no real value. So, the “vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty” is something impressive but ultimately empty.

What does meretricious persiflage mean?

Here’s a word that immediately communicates two things (to those who understand it): the discourse referred to is light, and the person speaking or writing is erudite. Thus, it is a high-toned means of blowing discourse away like dust. “Meretricious persiflage,” wrote D.H. Lawrence in Women in Love.

What does meretricious ornamentation mean?

1. a. Attracting attention in a vulgar manner: meretricious ornamentation. b. Plausible but false or insincere; specious: made a meretricious argument.

What is a Brummagem?

brummagem \BRUM-ih-jum\ adjective. : not genuine : spurious; also : cheaply showy : tawdry.

Why is Gatsby called the Son of God?

Gatsby portrays himself as a “Son of God” which showed us that Gatsby knew he was in this world for much more as well as having ambition to become part of the wealthy, rich status. By being the “Son of God”, he sees himself as if he’s under the spotlight and he will become somebody who is important.

Is Gatsby meretricious?

“Meretricious” describes something that is garishly attractive and pretentious but ultimately has no actual value or integrity. To Gatsby, rich society and Daisy seem gorgeous, costly, and classy; in reality, however, they are tawdry, superficial and empty.

Which is the best definition of the word meretricious?

Definition of meretricious 1 : of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution meretricious relationships 2 a : tawdrily and falsely attractive the paradise they found was a piece of meretricious trash — Carolyn See

What’s the difference between meretricious and licentious?

Depend upon it, from all that is licentious and meretricious something monstrous will come forth. If any persons under legal incapacities come together, it is a meretricious, and not a matrimonial union.’ A man in the prime of life—a perfect embodiment of symmetry and strength—he wore no attempt at gew-gaws or meretricious adornment.

Where did the term meretricious picture come from?

A pintura de la Feria became a term in Spain for a meretricious picture. The people are already beginning to distinguish between the wholesome and the meretricious in their newspapers. Did You Know? The word “sinister” is Latin for “left,” because left-handed people were often thought of as suspicious, evil, or demonic.

Where does the word Merere come from in English?

The Latin merēre is at the root of the Latin noun meretrix, meaning “prostitute,” and its related adjective “meretricius” (“of or relating to a prostitute”). The Latin meretricius entered into English as “meretricious” in the 17th century. Shortly after being adopted, “meretricious” also began to be used to indicate things which are…