Tawdry
/ˈtɔː.dri/noun
Cheap and gaudy in appearance; showy but without real value.
Did you know?Tawdry comes from the name of St. Audrey, whose fair-day trinkets were once sold as “St. Audrey’s lace,” and over time the phrase was corrupted into a word for flashy junk.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
Æðelþryð
“The personal name of St. Audrey (a saint’s name later associated with lace and trinkets).”
Middle English
ME
tawdry lace
“Cheap necklaces and trinkets sold at St. Audrey’s fair; originally linked to St. Audrey's lace.”
17th Century
English
tawdry
“Gaudy finery or showy ornaments, especially inexpensive ones.”
Modern English
English
tawdry
“Cheap, flashy, and lacking in taste or real worth.”