Meretricious (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Based on pretense; deceptively pleasing; "the gilded and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility"; "meretricious praise"; "a meretricious argument".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The flashy advertising campaign was just a meretricious attempt to distract from the product's poor quality.
- Her meretricious smile and charming demeanor were just a facade for her ruthless business tactics.
- The meretricious praise from the politician's supporters was seen as insincere by many in the audience.
- The new restaurant's lavish decorations and expensive menu hid its mediocre food and poor service, making it a meretricious dining experience.
- The company's meretricious promises of guaranteed success and wealth were later revealed to be nothing more than a pyramid scheme.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 3
Like or relating to a prostitute; "meretricious relationships".
Classification
Relational adjectives (pertainyms).
Usages
Examples
- The politician's meretricious relationships with several women were exposed in the scandal, damaging his reputation.
- Her meretricious behavior at the party was a subject of gossip among her colleagues the next day.
- The novel explored the meretricious world of 19th-century Paris, where women were often forced into prostitution.
- The meretricious nature of the transaction was clear, with the businessman offering favors in exchange for sex.
- The artist's depiction of meretricious scenes was meant to critique the societal norms that enabled such behavior.