Definition of tawdry

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tawny >

taw·dry    (tôdr) KEY 

ADJECTIVE:
taw·dri·er, taw·dri·est

1. Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance. See Synonyms at gaudy¹.
2. Shameful or indecent: tawdry secrets.

NOUN:

Cheap and gaudy finery.

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ETYMOLOGY:
From tawdry lace, lace necktie, alteration of Saint Audrey's lace ( sold at the annual Saint Audrey's fair, Ely, England), after Saint Audrey (Saint Etheldreda), queen of Northumbria, who died in 679 of a throat tumor, supposedly because she delighted in fancy necklaces as a young woman

OTHER FORMS:
tawdri·ly(Adverb), tawdri·ness(Noun)