different between brassy vs meretricious

English

Etymology 1

brass +? -y

Pronunciation

• (UK, General Australian, General New Zealand, General South African) IPA^(key): /?b???.si/, /?b?æs.i/
• (US, Canada) enPR: br?s??, IPA^(key): /?b?æs.i/
• Rhymes: -??si, -æsi

Adjective

brassy (comparative brassier, superlative brassiest)

1. Resembling brass.

   The cup had a brassy color.

2. (informal) Impudent; impudently bold.

   Don't get brassy with me, young lady!

3. Unfeeling; pitiless.
4. Harsh in tone.

   an organ stop with a brassy tone

Related terms

• brass
• brazen

Translations

Etymology 2

• enPR: br?s??, IPA^(key): /?b?æs.i/
• Rhymes: -æsi

Noun

brassy (plural brassies)

1. Alternative form of brassie (“type of golf club”)
2. Kyphosus vaigiensis, a fish found in southeast Asia.

English

Etymology

From Latin meretr?cius, from meretr?x (“harlot, prostitute”), from mere? (“earn, deserve, merit”) (English merit) + -tr?x (“(female agent)”) (English -trix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m????t????s/, /?m????t????s/
• Rhymes: -???s

Adjective

meretricious (comparative more meretricious, superlative most meretricious)

1. Tastelessly gaudy; superficially attractive but having in reality no value or substance; falsely alluring.
   • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p. 164:

     When I lifted my eyes from the page, there was none of the meretricious argument London always offers that the sole real purpose in life is to hustle for a buck.

2. (law) Involving unlawful sexual connection or lack of consent by at least one party (said of a romantic relationship).
3. (obsolete) Of, or relating to prostitutes or prostitution.

Synonyms

• (tastelessly showy): brassy, cheap, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, tacky, tatty, tawdry, trashy

Related terms

• merit (see also: merit: related terms)

Translations