Tawdrily and falsely attractive; superficially significant. Don’t confuse this one with delicious.
Tidbit from Merriam-Webster: “
Meretricious can be traced back to the Latin verb merere, meaning ‘to earn, gain, or deserve.’ It shares this origin with a small group of other English words, including ‘merit,
meritorious, and
emeritus.’ But, while these words can suggest some degree of honor or esteem, ‘
meretricious’ is used to suggest pretense, insincerity, and cheap or tawdry ornamentation.”
