clinquant
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Glittering with gold or silver: Describing something that is showily or superficially brilliant, often covered in or adorned with thin gold or silver leaf, foil, or similar materials to create a sparkling, tinsel-like effect.
- Tawdry or gaudy in appearance: By extension, it can describe something that is flashy, ostentatious, or cheaply showy, emphasizing superficial splendor.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The old theater's ceiling was decorated with clinquant stars that shimmered under the lights.
- She rejected the clinquant jewelry, preferring pieces of simple elegance.
- The critic dismissed the film's visuals as mere clinquant spectacle, lacking depth.
Advanced Usage
- Used figuratively: To describe speech, writing, or ideas that are superficially brilliant or showy but lack substance.
- His argument was all clinquant rhetoric, dazzling at first listen but hollow upon reflection.
Variants and Related Words
- Tinsel (n/adj): A material that sparkles, similar in cheap glittering appearance; often used metaphorically for something showy but valueless.
- Gaudy (adj): Extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless.
- Meretricious (adj): Apparently attractive but having no real value; tawdry. This is a close synonym, especially for the negative connotation of superficial attractiveness.
Synonyms
- Glittering
- Sparkling
- Flashy
- Ostentatious
- Garish
Antonyms
- Subdued
- Austere
- Simple
- Unadorned
- Elegant (in the sense of restrained beauty)
Notes on Usage
- Tone and Connotation: "Clinquant" is a relatively rare and literary word. It often carries a negative or dismissive connotation, implying that the glittering appearance is cheap, false, or intended to deceive. It suggests a critique of superficiality.
- Context: It is most effectively used in descriptive writing about appearance, art, decoration, or metaphorically to critique style over substance.
Adjective
- glittering with gold or silver