Word
gaudy
US/ˈɡɔdi/
UK/ɡˈɔːdi/
Definition
adj. too bright, colorful, or expensive-looking. You use this to describe things that are flashy and not very elegant.
adj. characterised by excessive ornamentation, bright colours, or showy display. Often carries a negative connotation of being tasteless or overly ostentatious.
Examples
“The hotel has a very gaudy interior.”
“He wore a gaudy suit to the wedding, which made everyone else's more modest clothes look plain.”
“The architect's gaudy designs, while technically impressive, were criticized for clashing with the quiet elegance of the surrounding historic district.”
Examples
simple
“The hotel has a very gaudy interior.”
contextual
“He wore a gaudy suit to the wedding, which made everyone else's more modest clothes look plain.”
complex
“The architect's gaudy designs, while technically impressive, were criticized for clashing with the quiet elegance of the surrounding historic district.”
Real-World Examples
“Worst of all is the newest piece, a sleek, gaudy, golden arch with a hand and a bird’s foot perched on top of it, all in reference to the mythological figure of Lilith.” “She had been with a Black man wearing a gaudy necklace featuring the zodiac sign of Leo, a lion.” Etymology
From Middle English gaudi, from Old French gaudie, from Medieval Latin gaudia. equivalent to gaud (“ornament, trinket”) + -y. Alternatively, from Middle English gaudi, gawdy (“yellowish”), from Old French gaude, galde (“weld (the plant)”), from Frankish walda, from Proto-Germanic walþō, walþijō, akin to Old English weald, *wielde (>Middle English welde, wolde and Anglo-Latin walda (“alum”)), Middle Low German wolde, Middle Dutch woude. More at English weld. A common claim that the word derives from Antoni Gaudí, designer of Barcelona's Sagrada Família Basilica, is incorrect: the word was in use centuries before Gaudí was born.
Borrowed from Latin gaudium (“joy”). Doublet of joy and jo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/gaudy