meretriciously
meretriciously — adverb
1. in a showy way that seems appealing at first but lacks real worth, honesty, or g
in a showy way that seems appealing at first but lacks real worth, honesty, or good taste
The hotel lobby was meretriciously decorated with fake gold and plastic roses.
meretriciously + decorated for flashy bad taste
A meretriciously edited video made the product seem grander than it was.
meretriciously + edited to create false appeal
The speech ended with meretriciously grand promises that nobody in the room believed.
The brochure meretriciously praised the flats while hiding the damp walls.
Soraya laughed at the meretriciously polished ad and closed the website.
- gaudily
focuses more on loud, tasteless appearance than on false value
- showily
describes trying to attract attention, but it is less literary and less critical about emptiness
- speciously
usually applies to arguments or claims that only seem convincing
- tastefully
suggests attractive restraint and good judgment
- genuinely
emphasizes real worth or honest feeling rather than false display
文法句型
meretriciously + past participle
verb + meretriciously
用法筆記
Often used in criticism of style, art, advertising, or language that looks impressive on the surface but feels cheap, false, or insincere underneath.
常見錯誤
2. in a way where two people live together as sexual partners although no marriage
in a way where two people live together as sexual partners although no marriage exists between them
The old newspaper accused the actress of living meretriciously with a musician.
live meretriciously + with someone
Their landlord refused to rent the cottage to anyone living meretriciously.
living meretriciously in moralizing legal language
In the novel, the couple were shunned for living meretriciously in town.
An aunt wrote angrily that Clara was living meretriciously in London.
The sermon warned against couples who chose to live meretriciously near the church.
- cohabit
modern and much more neutral; it names the arrangement without moral criticism
- live together
the ordinary everyday phrase, without the old judgmental tone
文法句型
live + meretriciously
be living + meretriciously
用法筆記
Now mainly found in old-fashioned or judgmental writing, usually with the verb 'live'. Modern neutral English normally says 'live together' or 'cohabit' instead.