frippery

/ˈfrɪpəri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfrɪpəri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfri-p(ə-)rē/ (ame, mw)

frippery — noun

  • fripperysingular
  • fripperiesplural

1. objects and pieces of clothing that are intended to look fancy or expensive but

1.名詞C1
釋義

objects and pieces of clothing that are intended to look fancy or expensive but have little real value and are often considered to be in bad taste

例句

Aunt Rosa decorated her living room with gilded frippery that impressed her neighbours but collected dust.

collocation: gilded frippery

The costume shop sold cheap frippery that looked glamorous on stage but fell apart after one show.

collocation: cheap frippery

同義詞
  • trinket

    a small decorative item; 'trinket' is neutral, 'frippery' is disapproving

  • bauble

    a showy but worthless ornament; 'bauble' is more specific to Christmas decorations or jewellery, 'frippery' covers a wider range

  • knick-knack

    a small decorative object for the home; 'knick-knack' is neutral or affectionate, 'frippery' is critical

  • tinsel

    showy but cheap decoration; 'tinsel' is literally the shiny strips, 'frippery' is broader

反義詞
  • essential

    something necessary or needed, the opposite of a showy but useless item

  • necessity

    something you cannot do without, contrasted with frippery which is purely decorative

文法句型

frippery (uncountable, general)

fripperies (countable plural, individual items)

用法筆記

Carries a disapproving tone; frequently appears in contexts where the speaker is criticising something as wasteful or in poor taste. The uncountable form (frippery) refers to the concept in general; the countable plural (fripperies) refers to individual items.

常見錯誤

❌I love your frippery collection' (positive tone).
✅Her room was full of cheap frippery' (critical tone).
💡'frippery' carries disapproval; it is not a neutral or positive word for fancy decorations.