variants
also geegaw
as in bauble
a small object displayed for its attractiveness or interest
had a shelf devoted just to gewgaws featuring his favorite team's mascot
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Recent Examples of gewgaw
Words that foiled spellers included chrysal, athanor, cloxacillin, heliconius, torticollis, platylepadid and gewgaw, and at one point judges had to review a video replay to determine whether a speller said the letter I or Y.
—
New York Times, 9 July 2021
And how nice to see Cynthia Erivo — to really see the woman and not have her overwhelmed by an elaborate mishmash of ruffles and gewgaws.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2020
Loaded to the gills with all-wheel drive, digital gewgaws and two-tone leather interior, my racy coupe stickered for $62,000 — a healthy $20,000 cheaper than a comparable BMW M4 coupe.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 28 Dec. 2019
Giveaways are a universal phenomenon, but Silicon Valley has made free gewgaws and gadgets an integral part of its culture.
—Owen Thomas, SFChronicle.com, 24 July 2019
The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2019
Graphics: Your choice of desktop-class RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080
Display: Your choice of four 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) displays, with or without touch, with or without gewgaws like Tobii eye-tracking.
—Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, 8 Jan. 2019
Bookstores should be designed to bring us closer together, not modeled after an open prairie dotted with books and assorted gewgaws — puzzles, Lego kits, Polaroid cameras.
—John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 6 June 2018
Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney have all won Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and countless other prizes and gewgaws in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.
—Glenn Whipp, latimes.com, 20 Feb. 2018
New York Times, 9 July 2021
And how nice to see Cynthia Erivo — to really see the woman and not have her overwhelmed by an elaborate mishmash of ruffles and gewgaws.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2020
Loaded to the gills with all-wheel drive, digital gewgaws and two-tone leather interior, my racy coupe stickered for $62,000 — a healthy $20,000 cheaper than a comparable BMW M4 coupe.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 28 Dec. 2019
Giveaways are a universal phenomenon, but Silicon Valley has made free gewgaws and gadgets an integral part of its culture.
—Owen Thomas, SFChronicle.com, 24 July 2019
The nihilistic gewgaw, vacuous and vulgar, instead embodies the mythos that can be manufactured in a crude market-culture that primarily values art as a luxury asset.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2019
Graphics: Your choice of desktop-class RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080
Display: Your choice of four 17.3-inch FHD (1920x1080) displays, with or without touch, with or without gewgaws like Tobii eye-tracking.
—Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, 8 Jan. 2019
Bookstores should be designed to bring us closer together, not modeled after an open prairie dotted with books and assorted gewgaws — puzzles, Lego kits, Polaroid cameras.
—John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 6 June 2018
Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney have all won Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and countless other prizes and gewgaws in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.
—Glenn Whipp, latimes.com, 20 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gewgaw
Noun
-
According to the store manager Daniela Oropeza, the gem is quite affordable—a marcasite-and-carnelian bracelet recently sold for $185—and is a great entry point into the world of antique baubles.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2025
-
The tree featured pink and red baubles and pink ribbon with two unique Christmas tree toppers that appeared to represent Wicked’s lead characters, Glinda and Elphaba.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
25 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The shop carries clothing and accessories from the 30s to the 90s, as well as housewares, tchotchkes and vintage musical instruments.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
-
The modest three-bedroom apartment with expansive views of the Hudson River was half-cleared, yet still somehow crammed with books, papers, photographs, awards and tchotchkes.—
Jennifer Schuessler,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Once the candle is burned, the smaller vessels could be used for knickknacks and the larger ones could double as plant holders. Got My Eye on You Who doesn’t need a little protection — or a lot?—
Alix Strauss,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
-
The ceiling panels are scuffed, the walls are decorated with movie posters, and the desks are dotted with equipment, knickknacks, and struggling houseplants.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
January is a multiplex clearance sale, littered with horror movies as gimcrack as the unsold toys wheeled out after the holidays.—
A.A. Dowd,
Chron,
5 Jan. 2023
-
The movie works hard to be a soulfully offbeat kiddie entertainment, an antidote to the gimcrack cynicism that has ruled too many cartoon-cutup-in-the-land-of-live-action Hollywood products.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2022
Noun
-
Otherwise, use of a fungicide labeled for rust control on ornamentals would be helpful.—
Tom MacCubbin,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Plant a productive space that attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and includes edible plants as well as ornamentals.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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According To Our Testing Pioneer Woman Harper Buffet Cabinet Growing up, your grandma likely had either a china cabinet or a buffet cabinet to store her delicate dishware, heirloom kitchenware, or other fun trinkets.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2025
-
This time around, though, those secrets are more directly tied to your power progression rather than just being collectible in-game trinkets, the developers said.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
At the other end is the caricature, butt of flabby jokes, trussed in Las Vegas gaud, voice prostituted to a huge orchestra.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2019
-
Even its colors, silver and space gray, seem to have been chosen for their lack of gaud—no blingy gold model here.—
David Pierce,
WIRED,
3 Nov. 2017
Noun
-
The painting then remained in the artist’s possession and out of public sight until it was bought, in 1927, as a chic bibelot for a swanky members-only social club in London.—
Peter Schjeldahl,
The New Yorker,
9 May 2022
-
Bruno Magli’s luxe nappa leather bibelot upgrades the standard-issue, white plastic AirPods case.—
Kareem Rashed,
Robb Report,
16 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Gewgaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gewgaw. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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