# gaudy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɡɔː.di/ · frequency rank #35,731

## Definitions
1. Very showy or ornamented, now especially when excessive, or in a tasteless or vulgar manner.
2. Fun; merry; festive.

## Etymology
From Middle English gaudi, from Old French gaudie, from Medieval Latin gaudia. equivalent to gaud (“ornament, trinket”) + -y.
Alternatively, from Middle English gaudi, gawdy (“yellowish”), from Old French gaude, galde (“weld (the plant)”), from Frankish *walda, from Proto-Germanic *walþō, *walþijō, akin to Old English *weald, *wielde (>Middle English welde, wolde and Anglo-Latin walda (“alum”)), Middle Low German wolde, Middle Dutch woude. More at English weld.
A common claim that the word derives from Antoni Gaudí, designer of Barcelona's Sagrada Família Basilica, is incorrect: the word was in use centuries before Gaudí was born.

## Easily confused with
- **guy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-guy)
- **Gay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gay)
- **Gaul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gaul)
- **Gawd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gawd)
- **gauge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gauge)
- **giddy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-giddy)
- **Grady** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-grady)
- **goody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-goody)
- **gaunt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gaunt)
- **gauze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gauze)
- **gauss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gauss)
- **Gordy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-gordy)
- **grundy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-grundy)
- **gad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gad-vs-gaudy)
- **Gary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gary-vs-gaudy)
- **Gaby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaby-vs-gaudy)
- **gard** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gard-vs-gaudy)
- **Gabby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gabby-vs-gaudy)
- **garda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/garda-vs-gaudy)

## Common misspellings (7)
`agudy`, `gaduy`, `gauddy`, `gaudyy`, `gauyd`, `ggaudy`, `guady`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gaudy