Etymology dictionary. 2014.
Meretricious — Mer e*tri cious, a. [L. meretricius, from meretrix, icis, a prostitute, lit., one who earns money, i. e., by prostitution, fr. merere to earn, gain. See {Merit}.] 1. Of or pertaining to prostitutes; having to do with harlots; lustful; as,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
meretricious — I adjective artificial, bedizened, brummagem, cheap, counterfeit, deceitful, deceptive, delusive, fake, false, fraudulent, garish, gaudy, imitation, misleading, mock, ornate, sham, showy, speciously attractive, spurious, tawdry, theatrical,… … Law dictionary
meretricious — derived from Latin meretrix ‘prostitute’, means ‘showily but falsely attractive’: • She could view with contempt those of her fellow tourists who, after the Aegean, could excite themselves over the meretricious charms of Venice Robert Liddell,… … Modern English usage
meretricious — *gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy Analogous words: *showy, pretentious, ostentatious: vulgar, *coarse, gross: deceptive, delusive, delusory, *misleading … New Dictionary of Synonyms
meretricious — [adj] gaudy, flashy blatant, bogus, brazen, chintzy, counterfeit, garish, glaring, insincere, loud, misleading, ornate, phony, plastic*, put on*, sham, showy, spurious, superficial, tawdry, tinsel, trashy; concepts 542,589 Ant. genuine, real,… … New thesaurus
meretricious — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ showily but falsely attractive. ORIGIN from Latin meretrix prostitute , from mereri be hired … English terms dictionary
meretricious — [mer΄ə trish′əs] adj. [L meretricius < meretrix (gen. meretricis), a prostitute < mereri, to serve for hire, earn: see MERIT] 1. Obs. of, like, or characteristic of a prostitute 2. alluring by false, showy charms; attractive in a flashy… … English World dictionary
meretricious — adjective Etymology: Latin meretricius, from meretric , meretrix prostitute, from merēre to earn more at merit Date: 1626 1. of or relating to a prostitute ; having the nature of prostitution < meretricious relationships > 2. a. tawdrily and… … New Collegiate Dictionary
meretricious — mer|e|tri|cious [ˌmerıˈtrıʃəs] adj formal [Date: 1600 1700; : Latin; Origin: meretricius, from meretrix prostitute , from merere; MERIT1] something that is meretricious seems attractive but has no real value or is not based on the truth ▪… … Dictionary of contemporary English
meretricious — [[t]me̱rɪtrɪ̱ʃəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something as meretricious, you disapprove of it because although it looks attractive it is actually of little value. [FORMAL] ...vulgar, meretricious and shabby souvenirs … English dictionary
