Meanings
comparative kitschier · superlative kitschiest
- Having the nature of kitsch: excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.
Hamilton said that his work looked for the “candour of a lost paradise”, and was most famous for his kitschy calendars of young girls and his soft-focus erotic films including “Bilitis” from 1977.
2016 November 25, “Photographer David Hamilton found dead in Paris”, in The Guardian, →ISSN1 more example
This is what his admirers go for: the gravelly grain of his film stock, the crowded monochrome of his compositions (the new film is mostly in black-and-white, with kitschy spasms of color), and the way in which light bounces and breathes from the faces of his players.
2004 May 10, The New YorkerSynonyms: corny, kitsch, schmaltzy, bathetic, cheesy, squishy, corny, drippy
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving the nature of kitsch: excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveeffusively or insincerely emotional
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From kitsch + -y. Compare German kitschig (“kitschy”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian кичозен
- кичозен (kičozen)having the nature of kitsch
Catalan cursi
- cursihaving the nature of kitsch
Chinese Mandarin 花裡胡哨 /花里胡哨
- 花裡胡哨 /花里胡哨 (huālihúshào)having the nature of kitsch
Czech kýčovitý
- kýčovitýhaving the nature of kitsch
Esperanto kiĉa
- kiĉahaving the nature of kitsch
Estonian kitšilik
- kitšilikhaving the nature of kitsch
Finnish kitsahtava
- kitsahtavahaving the nature of kitsch
French kitsch
- kitschhaving the nature of kitsch
German kitschig
- kitschighaving the nature of kitsch
Greek κιτς
- κιτς (kits)having the nature of kitsch
Hebrew קיטשי
- קיטשי (kítchi)having the nature of kitsch
Hungarian giccses
- giccseshaving the nature of kitsch
Italian kitsch, tamarro
- kitschhaving the nature of kitsch
- tamarrohaving the nature of kitsch
Japanese キッチュな, 低俗な
- キッチュなhaving the nature of kitsch
- 低俗な (teizoku na)having the nature of kitsch
Korean 키치하다
- 키치하다 (kichihada)having the nature of kitsch
Polish kiczowaty
- kiczowatyhaving the nature of kitsch
Portuguese kitsch, brega
- kitschhaving the nature of kitsch
- bregahaving the nature of kitsch
Russian ки́тчевый
- ки́тчевый (kítčevyj)having the nature of kitsch
Slovak gýčový, gýčovitý
- gýčovýhaving the nature of kitsch
- gýčovitýhaving the nature of kitsch
Swedish kitschig
- kitschighaving the nature of kitsch
Ukrainian кітчевий
- кітчевий (kitčevyj)having the nature of kitsch
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with kitschy
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
kitschy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitschy
“kitschy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitschy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kitschy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitschy.
Source: kitschy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.