Meaning & use
tastelessly showy
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noundisapproving
Looking expensive or bright in a way that shows bad judgment and lack of good taste.
Grammar: Used before a noun, often with 'a': a tastelessly showy display. It is not usually used after the verb 'be'.
Patterns
- a tastelessly showy thing
- tastelessly showy clothes/decor
They filled the living room with tastelessly showy gold furniture that matched nothing.
He turned up at the quiet wedding in a tastelessly showy suit covered in shiny patterns.
The hotel lobby was tastelessly showy, all mirrors and purple lights.
Common combinations
- tastelessly showy display
- The banquet was a tastelessly showy display of money.
- tastelessly showy jewelry
- She wore tastelessly showy jewelry to a simple family lunch.
- tastelessly showy decoration
- The cake had tastelessly showy decoration in five bright colors.
- tastelessly showy mansion
- Their tastelessly showy mansion has a fountain shaped like a swan.
- tastelessly showy car
- He drives a tastelessly showy car with gold wheels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gaudy
- Gaundy means too bright and decorated; it is a single adjective, while 'tastelessly showy' is a phrase that adds the idea of bad judgment.
- flashy
- Flashy means attracting attention by being expensive or bright; it can sometimes be approving, but 'tastelessly showy' is always negative.
- garish
- Garish describes colors or clothes that are unpleasantly bright; it focuses on color, while 'tastelessly showy' can also describe behavior or possessions.
- ostentatious
- Ostentatious is formal and means showing wealth to impress others; 'tastelessly showy' is more everyday and adds the idea of bad taste.
Opposites
Commonly confused: tastelessly showy or tastefully showy?
tastelessly showy vs tastefully showy
'Tastefully showy' is a rare, almost contradictory phrase meaning showy but done with good taste; 'tastelessly showy' is the normal, negative expression.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tastelessly showy' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is an adjective and goes before a noun or after 'be': 'The room was tastelessly showy.' Options 1 and 3 use it as a verb or adverb, and option 2 uses it with 'than' as if it were a comparative.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tastelessly showy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.