kitsch

[ kich ]

noun

1. something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste.

kitsch

/ kɪtʃ /

noun

1. 1. tawdry, vulgarized, or pretentious art, literature, etc, usually with popular or sentimental appeal
   2. ( as modifier )

      a kitsch plaster bust of Beethoven

kitsch

1. Works of art and other objects (such as furniture) that are meant to look costly but actually are in poor taste.

Notes

Kitsch in literature and music is associated with sentimentalism as well as bad taste.

Derived Forms

• ˈkitschy, adjective

Other Words From

• kitsch·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitsch¹

First recorded in 1925–30; from German, derivative of kitschen “to throw together (a work of art)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitsch¹

C20: from German

Example Sentences

Now we arrive at the stage of kitsch, which is an absolute requirement for any story to become a Story.

From Los Angeles Times

Through Cartman’s over-the-top scheming — like trapping a fellow kid underground while faking an apocalyptic meteor strike just to make it to dinner —we’re reminded of the way certain spaces, no matter how kitsch or questionable, become essential to our personal narratives.

From Salon

Take a young, shirtless Kanye West depicted with thick gold chains and an ornate crucifix casually slung over his shoulder; a naked Doja Cat balancing on a rock, aiming her Cupid’s bow and arrow at the clouds; Miley Cyrus floating in the night sky in a glittering, barely-there pink G-string; and Pamela Anderson, with a braces-adorned smile, baring her breasts in a kitsch bedroom scene.

From Los Angeles Times

“The album period wasn’t my favourite but if people still like it and find it fun, that’s cool. I’m happy with being the retro kitsch guy,” he says.

From BBC

One of the mildly endearing things about Republican conventions of the pre-Trump era was the devotion to GOP kitsch.

From Salon

Related Words

• sleazy
• tacky
• vulgar