[gau.dy] adj gaud.i.er ; -est (1583) 1: ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented
2: marked by dazzling brilliance, showiness, or extravagance "~ praise" -- gaud.i.ly adv -- gaud.i.ness n syn gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious mean vulgarly or cheaply showy. gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation "circus performers in gaudy costumes". tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy "tawdry saloons". garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright "garish neon signs". flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar "a flashy nightclub act". meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise "a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars".
[2]gaudy n, pl gaudies [prob. fr. L gaudium joy--more at joy] (1651): a feast or entertainment esp. in the form of an annual college dinner at a British university