Tinsel
A shiny decorative strip or thread of metal or plastic used for festive ornamentation; also, something that appears glamorous but is superficial.
nounTinsel
A shiny decorative strip or thread of metal or plastic used for festive ornamentation; also, something that appears glamorous but is superficial.
nounImagine 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.
Sounds Like
TIN-səl
Looks Like
A thin, shiny strip of foil or thread resembling glittering metal ribbon
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.
Other Forms
Connect With
glitter, ornament, decoration, gaudery, showiness, ornamentation
Note
Tinsel is usually uncountable; you would say 'a strand of tinsel' rather than 'tinsels' in most contexts.
Study Deeper
- The Christmas tree sparkled with tinsel and bright ornaments.
- His speech was full of tinsel promises but lacked real solutions.
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: 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).