Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [guhs-ee uhp]
- /ˈgʌs i ʌp/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [guhs-ee uhp]
- /ˈgʌs i ʌp/
Definitions of gussy up words
- verb with object gussy up to enhance the attractiveness of in a gimmicky, showy manner (usually followed by up): a room gussied up with mirrors and lights. 1
- verb without object gussy up to dress in one's best clothes (usually followed by up): to gussy up for the ball. 1
- phrasal verb gussy up If someone is gussied up, they are dressed very smartly. If something is gussied up, it is made more interesting or attractive. 0
- verb gussy up to give (a person or thing) a smarter or more interesting appearance 0
- verb gussy up (Informal) To don fancy clothing; to dress up particularly in flattering or specially altered garments. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of gussy up
First appearance:
before 1935 One of the 8% newest English words
First recorded in 1935-40; of obscure origin
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Gussy up
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
gussy up popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 62% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
gussy up usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for gussy up
verb gussy up
- trim — to put into a neat or orderly condition by clipping, paring, pruning, etc.: to trim a hedge.
- bedeck — If flags or other ornaments bedeck a place, a lot of them have been hung up to decorate it.
- dress up — of or for a dress or dresses.
- deck — A deck on a vehicle such as a bus or ship is a lower or upper area of it.
- spruce up — trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper.
Antonyms for gussy up
verb gussy up
- disfigure — to mar the appearance or beauty of; deform; deface: Our old towns are increasingly disfigured by tasteless new buildings.
- mar — to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil: That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.
- decrease — When something decreases or when you decrease it, it becomes less in quantity, size, or intensity.
- damage — To damage an object means to break it, spoil it physically, or stop it from working properly.
- deform — If something deforms a person's body or something else, it causes it to have an unnatural shape. In technical English, you can also say that the second thing deforms.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with g
- Words starting with gu
- Words starting with gus
- Words starting with guss
- Words starting with gussy
- Words starting with gussyu
- Words starting with gussyup