gewgaw

A gewgaw is a useless trinket—a bauble or trifle. More common words that mean the same thing are knickknack and tchotchke. Another similar term is gimcrack. The word bric-a-brac can be used to refer to such items collectively.

Gewgaws are usually decorations or ornaments—they typically don’t serve a function other than being something nice to look at. In other words, their purpose is to be displayed (such as on desks, bookshelves, or mantels).

Gewgaw and its close synonyms all often imply an object that’s relatively small, inexpensive, and often tacky or gaudy. However, any of these terms might be used to refer to an object regardless of how expensive it was simply to suggest that it’s a mostly useless trinket. Still, some people might use such terms affectionately.

Some other terms that refer to small objects displayed for their aesthetic value are generally more positive than gewgaw and its close synonyms. Terms such as curio, curiosity, bibelot, and objet d’art (art object) often imply a sense of tastefulness, artfulness, or quality.

The first records of the word gewgaw come from around 1200. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, but it may derive from French.

Gewgaw is pronounced GYOO-gaw or GOO-gaw.

Gewgaw is an informal word, and it’s often at least mildly negative. It’s much less commonly used than some of its synonyms (like trinket, knickknack, and tchotchke).

Here are some examples of gewgaw in a sentence:

• The house was full of little gewgaws—they were shelves full of them everywhere you looked.
• I prefer a clean, minimalist style, without a bunch of gewgaws cluttering up the space. 
• This old brass gewgaw is worth how much?!