Meaning & use
garishness
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Meaning
noununcountabledisapproving
The quality of being too bright, showy or colorful in an unpleasant, tasteless way.
Grammar: Never takes a plural or a: the garishness of the room, not a garishness.
Patterns
- the garishness of something
Visitors were struck by the garishness of the hotel's pink and gold lobby.
The garishness of her costume made her stand out in the quiet crowd.
He painted the walls plain white to escape the garishness of the old wallpaper.
Common combinations
- the garishness of the colors
- The garishness of the colors hurt my eyes.
- sheer garishness
- The casino impressed by its sheer garishness.
- vulgar garishness
- Critics mocked the vulgar garishness of the stage set.
- tone down the garishness
- The designer chose to tone down the garishness of the logo.
- the garishness of the decor
- The garishness of the decor was too much for her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gaudiness
- Gaudiness is nearly identical but is more often linked with cheap-looking decoration or jewelry than with bright color alone.
- flashiness
- Flashiness suggests showing off wealth or style, which garishness does not always imply.
- tastelessness
- Tastelessness is wider and covers any poor choice, while garishness is specifically about loud color or glitter.
- brashness
- Brashness more often describes loud behavior or style, while garishness is mainly visual.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: garishness or garnish?
garishness vs garnish
A garnish is a small decoration on food, while garishness is excessive brightness in style.
Practice
Which sentence best expresses 'garishness'?
Choose one answer.
Garishness means unpleasantly loud color or showiness, so only the neon orange sofa clashing with purple walls fits. The other options describe calm, soft or empty things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “garishness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.