as in conspicuous
formal + disapproving
attractive in a cheap or false way
meretricious beauty lacking in any real substance
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Recent Examples of meretricious
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—
Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—Michael Miklaucic, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
These meretricious narratives play well throughout the Global South.
—Michael Miklaucic, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Denzel Washington stars as Macrinus, a meretricious arms dealer who own a stable of gladiators, while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are brothers and ruling emperors.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 1 July 2024
But as a character study, with Holocaust themes deepening the stakes of the domestic turmoil, the play holds up extremely well in its critique of a world that has lost its capacity for silence and that is prepared to sacrifice literature for meretricious distraction.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The bullying tactics being used to sell this boondoggle are underhanded and meretricious.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
These shows raised the bar for musical drama and proved to Broadway that meretricious soullessness isn’t the only way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
You’re left with a feeling of overwhelming perversity, of a kind of meretricious, insane God out there playing games.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
Today’s sleek, simple anti-It Bags, on the other hand, telegraph a less meretricious sort of chic.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meretricious
Adjective
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Apple is a conspicuous laggard, the stock on the verge of breaking down below a former peak from almost two years ago.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 June 2025
-
The conspicuous tracking collar is clearly visible in the video.—
Brooke Baitinger,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The seemingly impossible trek took a remarkable 28 hours to complete.—
Don Yaeger,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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All of this makes McDonald’s dominance even more remarkable; at a time when theater seems like it’s being consumed by celebrity, her career represents a commitment to the old-fashioned principles of artistry.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Every sports league is better with a bad guy, and Reese subtly demeaning Clark is a brilliant marketing ploy.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2025
-
Herbert works hard and plays hard — especially when his kids are out of town at camp, like Capricorns do, with his beautiful and brilliant wife, Lisa, by his side.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Arrowhead first set the Guinness world record for loudest stadium in 2013.—
Nate Taylor,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Polite applause follows each performance, with occasional loud cheering and outbursts of awe.—
Melanie Stetson Freeman,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Last year, there were multiple reports and videos of noticeable early exits at various Trump events.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
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Most notably, though, Musk arrived with an immediately noticeable bruise on his right eye.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The dark-reddish countertops are visually dramatic and incredibly durable.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
-
The failure to address these issues, the lawsuit claimed, led to a loss of investor confidence and ultimately triggered the dramatic drop in the company's stock price on April 17.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
This tall, airy verbena is very striking when the wispy stems wave in the breeze.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 June 2025
-
Nickerson became a person of interest in the case just days after Peterson was killed, when he was arrested in an unrelated crime and detectives noticed his booking photo bore a striking resemblance to a police sketch of the teacher’s killer.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Most impressively, Kohli has been able to tweak his game, batting with more explosiveness at the top of the order to produce an outstanding season for RCB.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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The show has won two Emmys since: One in 2014 for outstanding interactive program and another in 2015 for outstanding creative achievement in interactive media.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meretricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meretricious. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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