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

Jennifer Lopez was someone you were supposed to love only ironically, as lowbrow kitsch.

From Vox

In the 90s and 2000s—and continuing to this day—Happy Meals partnered with movie releases, intended to drive audiences to the box office and provide kids with collectible pieces of kitsch.

From Time

Then came news this week that Taylor Kitsch has been cast as the third lead.

From The Daily Beast

Instead Kitsch is the kind of man who invites an audience of women.

From The Daily Beast

In a show with no shortage of great performances, Kitsch stood out.

From The Daily Beast

In other words, Taylor Kitsch at his best plays against ego.

From The Daily Beast

The fringes of the scarf lead to a collection of kitsch photos colored in purple dye.

From The Daily Beast

Kitsch-like images are used as ironic devices in artworks critical of the bourgeois taste.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sleazy
• tacky
• vulgar