meretricious

Persiani is more generally a favorite here; she is indeed skilful both as an actress and in the management of her voice, but I find her expression meretricious, her singing mechanical.

At Home And Abroad Or, Things And Thoughts In America and Europe Margaret Fuller 1830

The sphere opposite to it is called meretricious with such women, and adulterous with such men; and as such men and women are in hell, this sphere is from thence: but of this sphere there is also much variety, and hence there are several species of it; and such a species is attracted and appropriated by a man (_vir_) as is agreeable to him, and as is conformable and correspondent with his peculiar temper and disposition.

The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love Emanuel Swedenborg 1730

Also in the Telegraph, David Selbourne wields the bludgeon with tremendous style, although I'm going to have to look up 'meretricious'.

Archive 2005-05-22 Laban 2005

Also in the Telegraph, David Selbourne wields the bludgeon with tremendous style, although I'm going to have to look up 'meretricious'.

May 22, 2005 Laban 2005

Also in the Telegraph, David Selbourne wields the bludgeon with tremendous style, although I'm going to have to look up 'meretricious'.

Even More Respect ... Laban 2005

It is this same taste, which, in that solemn commemoration of the death of their king, the _service solennel_ for Louis XVI. contrived to introduce a species of affected parade, -- a detailed and theatrical sort of grief, -- a kind of meretricious mummery of sorrow, which banished all the feelings, and almost completely destroyed the impression which such a scene in any other country would inevitably have produced.

Travels in France during the years 1814-15 Comprising a residence at Paris, during the stay of the allied armies, and at Aix, at the period of the landing of Bonaparte, in two volumes. Archibald Alison 1829

Moreover, as the parties 'subsequent cohabitation could not be termed "meretricious," and the relationship between the parties was not tainted by the fact that the male partner was married to someone else at that time; (2) an agreement between a cohabitating adult couple is enforceable to the extent it is not based upon a relationship proscribed by law, or upon a promise to marry.

Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

"There is now a disproportionate amount of meretricious material aimed at appealing to public prurience, most of which revolves around the philandering of celebrities," he argues.

Privacy decisions can't just be left to judges and politicians 2011

So an insincere smile becomes cheesy; from that anything shallow, phony or meretricious.

Notes and queries: How can I allay my fear of death? Why did my email sit in cyberspace for five years? What's the point of skirting boards? 2011

There is now a disproportionate amount of meretricious material aimed at appealing to public prurience, most of which revolves around the philandering of celebrities.

Editors tangle with the zip code 2011