Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - gaudy

 I. adjective  (gaudier; -est)  Date: 1582  1. ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented  2. marked by extravagance or sometimes tasteless showiness ; outlandish ~ lies ~ claims; also exceptional a ~ batting average  • gaudily adverb  • gaudiness noun Synonyms:  ~, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious mean vulgarly or cheaply showy. ~ implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation circus performers in ~ costumes. tawdry applies to what is at once ~ 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.  II. noun  (plural gaudies)  Etymology: probably from Latin gaudium joy — more at joy  Date: 1651 a feast or entertainment especially in the form of an annual college dinner at a British university