Antonyms for gaudy

Grammar : Adj

Spell : gaw-dee

Phonetic Transcription : ˈgɔ di

Definition of gaudy

Origin : "showy, tastelessly rich," 1580s, probably ultimately from Middle English gaudi "large, ornamental bead in a rosary" (early 14c.); but there is a parallel sense of gaudy as "full of trickery" (1520s), from Middle English gaud "deception, trick," from gaudi "a jest, trick," possibly from Anglo-French gaudir "be merry, scoff," from Latin gaudere "rejoice" (see joy).
Alternative etymology of the adjective is from Middle English gaudegrene "yellowish-green" (early 14c.), originally "green dye" obtained from a plant formerly known as weld, from a Germanic source (see weld (n.)), which became gaude in Old French. The English term supposedly shifted sense from "weld-dye" to "bright." As a noun, "feast, festival" 1650s, from gaudy day "day of rejoicing" (1560s).

adj bright and vulgar

Example sentences :

Thankful held the gaudy ring at arm's length and stared at it helplessly.
Extract from : « Thankful's Inheritance » by Joseph C. Lincoln

She was dressed in a gaudy old calico gown, and had earrings in her ears.
Extract from : « Cape Cod Stories » by Joseph C. Lincoln

Piracy in the past has acquired the gaudy technicolor of high romance.
Extract from : « This One Problem » by M. C. Pease

A thousand soldiers, in their most gaudy attire, composed his train.
Extract from : « Ferdinand De Soto, The Discoverer of the Mississippi » by John S. C. Abbott

All are thick and rich, none are glazed, and none are gaudy.
Extract from : « The Soul of a People » by H. Fielding

From a distance it looked like a garden full of gaudy flowers.
Extract from : « The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume VIII. » by Guy de Maupassant

Their painted faces and breasts and gaudy clothes were different from our Indians.
Extract from : « Old Rail Fence Corners » by Various

There were gaudy rugs and blankets tacked to the walls near the ceiling.
Extract from : « Patchwork » by Anna Balmer Myers

His colour was hectic and gaudy; and in composition he possessed little skill.
Extract from : « Art in England » by Dutton Cook

She saw me, though for a moment she did not recognize me in my new and gaudy plumage.
Extract from : « The Rose of Old St. Louis » by Mary Dillon

Synonyms for gaudy

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019