kitsch

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“
The historical representation is always kitsch which is why Trovatore really needed all the help from the

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Definitions (4)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: "When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch” (William H. Gass).
  2. noun An example or examples of kitsch.
  3. adjective Of, being, or characterized by kitsch: "The kitsch kitchen ... has aqua-and-white gingham curtains and rubber duck-yellow walls painted in a fried-egg motif” (Suzanne Cassidy).

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Examples (50)

  • The excesses of the genre have spawned derisive nicknames: Holo-kitsch (Art Speigelman's term) and Holocaust porn (which Taylor cites). —  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
  • The piece now becomes a focal kitsch, a work of art, a collection of ideas and photographs. —  Woof Nanny
  • The 1987 amusement-park setting also allows Mottola to revel in dead-on period kitsch, from acid-washed jeans and teased-up bangs to the absurdly annoying strains of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus," which repeatedly blares over the loud speakers.
  • DRTV's newfound access to the mainstream has made the "Snuggie" sleeved blanket a kitsch-culture phenom and turned creepy "ShamWow" pitchman Vince Offer - recently busted for beating up a prostitute - into, well, a very famous creepy pitchman. —  The News Tribune - Tacoma - Homepage
  • Each piece is an aggregation of items-passports, cosmetics, coins, Mao kitsch, all and sundry plastic knick knacks-that individually are unremarkable, but together tell the story of a person's life .... —  Cool Hunting
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Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. German, probably of dialectal origin.
 

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