Gaudy

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈɡɔː.di/
• US IPA: /ˈɡɑ.di/, /ˈɡɔ.di/
• Rhymes: -ɔːdi

Origin uncertain; perhaps from gaud ("ornament, trinket"), itself perhaps from Old French gaudir ("to rejoice").

A common claim that the word derives from Antoni Gaudí, designer of Barcelona's , is not supported by evidence (the word was in use at least half a century before Gaudí was born).

Full definition of gaudy

Adjective

1. very showy or ornamented, now especially when excessive, or in a tasteless or vulgar manner
• ShakespeareCostly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
  But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy.
• 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and PrejudiceThe rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of its proprietor; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine; with less of splendour, and more real elegance, than the furniture of Rosings.
• 1887, Homer Greene, Burnham BreakerA large gaudy, flowing cravat, and an ill-used silk hat, set well back on the wearer's head, completed this somewhat noticeable costume.
• 2005, Thomas Hauser & Marilyn Cole Lownes, "How Bling-bling Took Over the Ring", The Observer, 9 January 2005Gaudy jewellery might offend some people's sense of style. But former heavyweight champion and grilling-machine entrepreneur George Foreman is philosophical about today's craze for bling-bling.
2. (obsolete) gay; merry; festive
• ShakespeareLet's have one other gaudy night.
• TwainAnd then, there he was, slim and handsome, and dressed the gaudiest and prettiest you ever saw...

Synonyms

• (excessively showy) tawdry, flashy, garish, kitschy

Derived terms

• gaudily
• gaudy night

Noun

1. One of the large beads in the rosary at which the paternoster is recited.

From Latin gaudium "joy".

Noun

1. A reunion held by one of the colleges of the University of Oxford for alumni, normally held during the summer vacations.