Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MERETRICIOUS

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connect today's word to others: Imagine your neighbor's lawn, at midnight, bright as day from all the Christmas lights slapped all across it, a 15-foot inflatable snowman looming over it, and Jingle Bells blaring from a speaker as the projected image of a snowstorm assaults the front of the house. (Where's the silent joy of the holiday?) Showy, tacky, tasteless things like that might be called tawdry, garish, ostentatious, or meretricious. Out of tawdry, garish, and ostentatious, can you recall which one literally means "stretched out in front of (someone), as if to show it off"? And which one specifically means "tacky, tasteless, and shoddy, too"? And which one specifically means "tacky, tasteless, and vivid, too"? Getting back to today's meretricious, it comes from a Latin word meaning "to earn money"--I'll explain that scandalous connection in a moment!--but you can see why it looks a bit like the word merit, and the opposite of merit, __merit. Can you recall that word? What does it mean? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MERETRICIOUS" An old, literary synonym for "prostitute" is "meretrix." It's from the Latin word merēre, which meant both "to earn money as payment" and "to earn money from prostitution." Think of how a prostitute tries to look beautiful and flashy just to lure people in. So, something meretricious, at first glance, seems alluring and attractive, but actually has no value or no virtue. Pronunciation: mair uh TRISH us Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a meretricious thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was meretricious.") Other forms: meretrix (plural: meretrices), meretriciously, meretriciousness How to use it: Don't worry: although it's still insulting, you can call something "meretricious" without automatically implying that it reminds you of a prostitute! We use "meretricious" in all kinds of general contexts. Although you might talk about a meretricious person (like a meretricious actress or a meretricious sales representative), and although you might talk about meretricious objects, like meretricious jewelry, makeup, and clothes, we most often apply "meretricious" to abstract things. People and things can have a meretricious charm or grace, a meretricious style or taste, a meretricious slickness or suavity, a meretricious beauty or splendor, or a meretricious glory or excitement. You might talk about meretricious ads, books, films, businesses, even cities: those that lure us in with their enticing images and exciting promises, only to disappoint us and leave us feeling empty. Meretricious arguments, findings, feelings, and praise all seem genuine and convincing at first, but if you look closely at them, they fall apart--they're meaningless and valueless. A meretricious system, tradition, or accomplishment is all trumped-up, flashy, and meaningless. So are meretricious ornaments and ornamentation: "Their paper is filled with meretricious ornamentation, whole paragraphs of highfalutin fluff, long footnotes full of magesterial mumbo-jumbo." A meretricious challenge only seems like a genuine challenge, a meretricious indication or gauge of something only seems accurate, and a meretricious partnership or relationship only seems deep and meaningful but exists only for show. Lastly, we can talk about meretricious facades and meretricious nonsense. Or, meretricious versions of genuine things: "I was grossed out by that meretricious version of Diet Coke." examples: In 2000, the meretricious Chrysler PT Cruiser, with its swanky 1930s design hiding a subpar engine and shoddy components, had lured people onto 10-month waiting lists and suckered them into paying more than the sticker price. Thanks for the meretricious advertising, McDonald's: your Big Mac stands a juicy 6 inches tall in the commercial; in reality it's a smooshed mess. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "meretricious" means when you can explain it without saying "falsely alluring" or "deceptively attractive." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The meretricious (beauty, charm, or grace) of _____ crumbles when you notice _____." Example: "The meretricious charm of the small island town crumbles when you notice the rust, the constant smell of pot, and the swarms of flying termites." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing with some beautifully worded passages from the Bible as we recall words we've studied before. From our previous issue: "W______ing bad people and throwing mud on good people are equally abhorrent to God." (The Message, Proverbs, chapter 17, verse 15.) What's the missing word? It means "to cover up how bad people (or things) really are and to try to make them seem more honest or more respectable." Answer: whitewashing. Try this today: "A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to a______ from embracing." (The Septuagint, Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 5.) What's the missing word? It means "to use your self-control as you willingly decide NOT to do something." review today's word: 1. A close opposite of MERETRICIOUS is A. PURE. B. FULL. C. TIMID. 2. The whole system struck us as meretricious as awards were handed out for _____. A. perfect attendance and high achievement B. bogus honors and titles inspired by inside jokes C. the greatest amount of effort, regardless of achievement Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B