meretricious
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Shakespeare in Love” kidnapped its subject to force him into a flimsy and meretricious romcom; “Hamnet” reduces the concept of tragedy to actors being extremely sad.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
The economic crash of 1929 descended on America like an ice age, ending a meretricious prosperity.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2023
If early Camaros were classic boomer rock, a third-generation model — sold from 1982 to 1992 — was ’80s hair metal, more meretricious flash and dubious accessories than performance chops.
From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2023
His work wasn’t a branch of publicity even as it sought to elevate the truly excellent from the meretricious.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2023
The devotees of the French spirit, in its frivolity and meretricious beauty, they turned away from with disdain.
From Transcendentalism in New England A History by Frothingham, Octavius Brooks
Vocabulary lists containing meretricious
The Great Gatsby
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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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