faddish

IPA/ˈfæd.ɪʃ/
KK[fˈædɪʃ]IPA/ˈfæd.ɪʃ/

faddish — adjective

  • faddishpositive
  • more faddishcomparative
  • most faddishsuperlative

1. extremely popular for a brief time, then quickly forgotten as tastes change

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

extremely popular for a brief time, then quickly forgotten as tastes change

Example

The faddish diet that everyone tried last year has already been forgotten.

collocation: faddish diet / faddish trend

Jabari laughed at his faddish haircut three years ago when he looked at old photos.

faddish modifying a personal style item

Common collocations
  • faddish diet
  • faddish trend
  • faddish gadget
  • faddish style
  • faddish product
Synonyms
  • trendy

    more neutral, simply describes what is currently popular without implying it will soon end

  • fashionable

    broader and more positive; suggests wider acceptance rather than a short craze

  • faddy

    similar but more informal, especially for food, health, or lifestyle crazes

Antonyms
  • classic

    lasting in style, not subject to passing trends

  • timeless

    never going out of fashion, always appropriate

Grammar Patterns

faddish + noun

Usage Note

Often used with a slightly critical tone, suggesting that something is popular mainly because it is new rather than because it has real lasting value. Common with nouns like diet, trend, gadget, style, and product.

Common Mistakes

I want a faddish coat that will last for years.
I want a classic coat that will last for years.
Faddish things are short-lived; classic things last.
The restaurant is faddish for its high quality.
The restaurant is faddish because young people on social media love it right now.
Faddish describes brief popularity, not lasting quality.

Word family

  • fad
    nounB1
  • faddy
    adjectiveC1
  • faddily
    adverbC2
  • faddishness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Faddish, trendy, fashionable, faddy, and voguish all describe something that follows current tastes, but they differ in tone and duration. Fashionable is the most neutral, simply describing what is widely accepted as stylish at a given time — it carries no suggestion of how long the style will last. Trendy is more informal and often tied to youth culture; it can be positive or neutral. Faddish adds a critical edge: it implies the item is popular mainly because it is new and will likely be forgotten soon. Faddy is a British-informal variant especially used for diets and health crazes (a faddy eating plan). Voguish is rare and literary, suggesting sophisticated but fleeting fashion. A cashmere sweater can be fashionable for a decade, but a faddish phone accessory will probably be forgotten next season.

trendy ↗fashionable ↗faddyvoguish

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • rather faddish
  • somewhat faddish
  • a bit faddish

Etymology

uncertain originEnglish

The adjective faddish comes from the noun fad, which appeared in English in the early 1800s, probably shortened from fiddle-faddle — a playful, reduplicated word for trivial talk or nonsense. The suffix -ish turns the noun into an adjective meaning 'having the character of,' producing the sense 'resembling a short-lived craze.'