Vocabulary in context
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Tinsel
A shiny decorative strip or thread of metal or plastic used for festive ornamentation; also, something that appears glamorous but is superficial.
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Imagine This
Imagine a Christmas tree draped with long, shimmering strands of narrow tin-colored foil that catch every light and turn the tree into a cascade of tiny mirrors.
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Sounds Like
TIN-səl
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Looks Like
A thin, shiny strip of foil or thread resembling glittering metal ribbon
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Remember This
Historically, tinsel was made from real silver or gold-coated strands; today it is commonly aluminum or plastic. It is also used metaphorically to refer to superficial glamour that lacks real substance.
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Other Forms
tinselsnoun
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Connect With
glitter, ornament, decoration, gaudery, showiness, ornamentation
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Note
Tinsel is usually uncountable; you would say 'a strand of tinsel' rather than 'tinsels' in most contexts.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The Christmas tree sparkled with tinsel and bright ornaments.
- His speech was full of tinsel promises but lacked real solutions.
Synonyms
glitterornamentdecorationgauderyshowiness
Antonyms
substancegenuinenessauthenticity
Etymology
From tin (the metal), with a suffix related to diminutive or ornamental forms; the term likely derived from Dutch or German influences referring to tin foil used for decoration. The modern sense retains that connection to shiny, decorative foil.
Mnemonic
Mnemonic: Tin + sel (sounds like 'sell') — think of cheap tin foil that sells glamour; tinsel is glitter that signals superficial sparkle.
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Disingenuous
adjectiveNot candid or sincere; intentionally pretending to be naive or harmless in order to mislead others.
Contiguous
adjectiveTouching or sharing a common border; adjacent or directly next to something with no gap between them.
Kindle
verbTo light or start a fire; to arouse or inflame (a feeling, interest, or emotion).
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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