meretricious Hear it!

meretricious definition

mer·etri·cious (mer′ə tris̸h′əs)

adjective

  1. Obsolete of, like, or characteristic of a prostitute
  2. alluring by false, showy charms; attractive in a flashy way; tawdry
  3. superficially plausible; specious

Etymology: L meretricius < meretrix (gen. meretricis), a prostitute < mereri, to serve for hire, earn: see merit

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.
Related Discussions (2)
TopicRepliesLatest Post
MERETRICIOUS810 months ago
Meretricious116 years ago

Browse Forums