[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

tawdry \taw"dry\, a. compar. tawdrier; superl. tawdriest.
   said to be corrupted from saint audrey, or auldrey, meaning
   saint ethelreda, implying therefore, originally, bought at
   the fair of st. audrey, where laces and gay toys of all sorts
   were sold. this fair was held in isle ely, and probably at
   other places, on the day of the saint, which was the 17th of
   october.
   1. bought at the festival of st. audrey. obs.
      1913 webster

            and gird in your waist,
            for more fineness, with a tawdry lace. --spenser.
      1913 webster

   2. very fine and showy in colors, without taste or elegance;
      having an excess of showy ornaments without grace; cheap
      and gaudy; as, a tawdry dress; tawdry feathers; tawdry
      colors.
      1913 webster

            he rails from morning to night at essenced fops and
            tawdry courtiers.                     --spectator.
      1913 webster
see also:
tawdrier tawdriest 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

tawdry
     adj 1: tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish
            colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a
            meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"
            syn: brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish,
            gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky,
            tatty, trashy
     2: cheap and shoddy; "cheapjack moviemaking...that feeds on the
        low taste of the mob"- judith crist syn: cheapjack, shoddy
     also: tawdriest, tawdrier
see also:
brassy cheap flash flashy garish gaudy 
gimcrack loud meretricious tacky tatty 
trashy cheapjack shoddy tawdriest tawdrier 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

tawdriest
     see tawdry
see also:
tawdry 

Tawdriest >> T Words
Tawdriest, definition of term: Tawdriest
tawdriest_pag1.html