Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Showy; flashy; gaudy: Having an excessively bright, colorful, or decorated appearance intended to attract attention, often in a way that is considered tasteless or lacking in elegance.
   • Flowery; ornate; affected: (Of language, behavior, or style) being excessively elaborate, artificial, or insincere, emphasizing form over genuine substance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy không thích trang sức màu mè. (She does not like showy jewelry.)
  • Bài văn của anh ấy có văn phong quá màu mè. (His essay has a style that is too flowery.)
  • Họ trang trí căn phòng một cách màu mè và lộn xộn. (They decorated the room in a gaudy and cluttered way.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a negative connotation, criticizing something for being overly decorated or unnecessarily elaborate, suggesting a lack of authenticity, simplicity, or good taste.
  • Lời nói màu mè thường thiếu sự chân thành. (Ornate words often lack sincerity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Màu sắc sặc sỡ (n): garish colors; loud colors.
  • Bức tranh sử dụng màu sắc sặc sỡ. (The painting uses garish colors.)

Synonyms

• Showy: attracting attention in a flashy way.
• Ornate: made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns.
• Affected: artificial, pretentious, and designed to impress.
• Gaudy: extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless.

Related Idioms

• Màu mè hình thức: to be all form and no substance; to be superficially elaborate.
  • Bài thuyết trình đó chỉ màu mè hình thức, không có nội dung sâu sắc. (That presentation was all flashy form, with no profound content.)

adj

1. shonry; unctuous