tinsel
/ˈtɪnsəl/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A thin, shiny foil for ornamental purposes which is of a material made of metal or resembling metal; especially, narrow glittering strips of such a material, often strung on to thread, and traditionally at Christmastime draped on Christmas trees, hung from balustrades or ceilings, or wrapped around objects as a decoration.
Uncountable
noun
Anything shining and gaudy; especially something superficially shiny and showy, or having a false lustre, and more pretty than valuable.
Uncountable
adj
Of fabric: ornamented by being woven with gold or silver thread, or overlaid with thin metal plates; brocaded.
Obsolete
adj
Apparently beautiful and costly but having little value; superficially attractive; gaudy, showy, tawdry.
Example Sentences
- "Firſt, the hethermoſt, in the changeable blew, and greene robe, is the commendably-faſhioned gallant, Evcosmos; […] The fourth, in watchet tinſell, is the kind, and truly benefique, Evcolos."
- "I know in that more ſubtil Air of yours Tinſel ſometimes paſſes for Tiſſue, Venice Beads for Pearl, and Demicaſters for Bevers; But I know you have ſo diſcerning a Judgment, that you will not ſuffer your ſelf to be ſo cheated, […]"
- "O! it is divine and moſt admirable, and ſo farre beyond all that ever he publiſhed heretofore, as day-light beyond candle-light, or tinſell or leafe-gold above arſedine; […]"
- "A tawdry scarf of yellow silk, trimmed with tinsel and spangles, which had seen as hard service, and boasted as honourable a transmission, was next flung over one shoulder, and fell across her person in the manner of a shoulder-belt or baldrick."
- "He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him not so much of the aerial photographs of today but rather of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design."
- "Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold, / And all her ſteed with tinſell trappings ſhone, / Which fledd ſo faſt, that nothing mote him hold, / And ſcarſe them leaſure gaue, her paſſing to behold."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtɪnsəl/
- British English: /ˈtɪns(ə)l/