meretricious
meretricious — 形容詞
- meretriciouspositive
- more meretriciouscomparative
- most meretricioussuperlative
1. describing something that outwardly appears impressive, stylish, or valuable but
華而不實
外表華麗但無真正價值
describing something that outwardly appears impressive, stylish, or valuable but has no real substance, quality, or worth when examined closely — often because it was deliberately designed to deceive.
The hotel lobby was decorated with meretricious gold statues that flaked after a week.
飯店大廳裝飾著華而不實的金色雕像，一週後就開始剝落。
collocation: meretricious + decoration / display
Wei realised the investment scheme was meretricious when the promised returns never appeared.
Wei 意識到那項投資計畫華而不實，因為承諾的回報始終沒有出現。
Fatima dismissed the politician's speech as meretricious promises designed to win votes.
Fatima 批評那位政治人物的演說全是華而不實的空頭承諾，目的只在贏得選票。
What the boutique called 'luxury silk' was a meretricious synthetic fabric that tore easily.
那家精品店所謂的「奢華絲綢」，其實是一種容易破損的華而不實合成布料。
Diego thought the film's special effects were meretricious — flashy but serving no real purpose.
Diego 覺得那部電影的特效華而不實——畫面炫目卻毫無實質意義。
- tawdry
emphasises cheapness and bad taste alongside showiness; a broader, less formal word
- gaudy
focuses on excessive brightness or ornament rather than deception
- pretentious
stresses claiming more importance or sophistication than is deserved, not necessarily visual show
- specious
applies most naturally to arguments or claims that seem correct but are false; less about visual appearance
- genuine
truly what it appears to be; not fake or deceptive
- substantial
having real value, weight, or importance beneath the surface
文法句型
meretricious + noun
be + meretricious
用法筆記
Unlike 'cheap' or 'tacky', which indicate poor quality without implying intent, 'meretricious' carries a strong suggestion that the attractive appearance was deliberately manufactured to mislead. The word typically appears in formal writing — criticism of art, design, advertising, political speech, or commercial products.