Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Very thin sheets, strips, or threads of a glittering material used as a decoration.
- noun Something sparkling or showy but basically valueless.
- adjective Made of or decorated with tinsel.
- adjective Gaudy, showy, and basically valueless.
- transitive verb To decorate with or as if with tinsel.
- transitive verb To give a false sparkle to.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Loss; forfeiture.
- Specifically, to embellish (ceramic ware) with metallic effects.
- To adorn with tinsel; hence, to adorn with anything showy and glittering.
- noun Some glittering metallic substance, as burnished brass, copper, or tin, made in sheets approaching the thinness of foil, and used in pieces, strips, or threads for any purpose in which a sparkling effect is desired without much cost. Gold and silver tinsel, round or flat, made of Dutch metal, is much employed in the manufacture of artificial flies.
- noun A fabric or some material for dress overlaid or shot with glittering metallic sparkles or threads. The name has been given to cloth of silk interwoven with gold or silver threads.
- noun Figuratively, glistening or gaudy show; superficial glitter or sparkle; garish pretense.
- Consisting of, or characteristic of, tinsel; hence, gaudy; showy to excess; speciously glittering.
- noun In electricity, fine threads of copper or bronze wire used in making up flexible stranded conductors for portable and other fixtures.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy.
- adjective Showy to excess; gaudy; specious; superficial.
- noun A shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like.
- noun Something shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more gay than valuable.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like. - noun Very thin strips of a
glittering ,metallic material used as adecoration , and traditionally,draped atChristmas time overstreamers , paper chains and the branches ofChristmas trees . - noun Anything shining and
gaudy ; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more gay than valuable. - adjective
Glittering , later especially superficially so;gaudy ,showy . - verb transitive To
adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy. - verb figuratively, transitive To give a false
sparkle to (something).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a thread with glittering metal foil attached
- verb interweave with tinsel
- verb adorn with tinsel
- noun a showy decoration that is basically valueless
- verb impart a cheap brightness to
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Interestingly though, the English word 'tinsel' is actually taken, not from German but from the French word 'estincele', which translates roughly as 'sparkle'. deklin42, posted this comment on Dec 3rd, 2009
Quazen 2009
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They did, after all, drop their hosts from the rafters like Ziegfeld showgirls, while draping the proscenium in tinsel lights and the stage in drapes.
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The staggering on too-high heels, the silly hats, the little black dresses covered in tinsel and the semi-drunken jokes about handcuffs.
It’s That Time Of Year Again « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2009
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To create a character, you take a shiny button here, a strand of hair there, a bit of tinsel from the garbage can, and build something which, you hope, will look like a person.
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Well, the tinsel is being put away, lights are being torn down, eggnog hangovers are being nursed, and entire legions of families are sitting around the table, eating breakfast in awkward silence after the drunken revelations from the night before.
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Along with the thin tinsel there were twisted red and green crepe paper streamers that hung in loops from the corners of the room, and balloons too.
Foiled Dave Hingsburger 2006
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Regardless of temperature, blizzards, or general apathy, the tinsel is tossed the first day of December.
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I scored 11 out of 15 which came with a cheerful holiday message: Good try but the tinsel is looking a little tatty and your needles are starting to drop.
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Around the broom, imitating tinsel, is wrapped the gauze from a bandage.
Hess, Jay C. 1977
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Under a square glass case on the mantel-shelf, lifted high above the busy scene, stood a statue of the Virgin, very old and very ugly, dressed in tinsel, a necklace of colored beads around its neck.
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