adjective
- appearing attractive but having no real value or worth; superficially appealing but actually false or insincere
Usage: formal
Examples
- The politician’s meretricious promises fooled many voters.
- Critics dismissed the film as meretricious entertainment with no artistic merit.
- The jewelry looked expensive but was merely meretricious costume pieces.
- Her meretricious charm couldn’t hide her selfish motives.
- The advertisement’s meretricious claims were quickly exposed as false.
- The building’s meretricious facade concealed poor construction underneath.