Tawdrily and falsely attractive; superficially significant. Don’t confuse this one with delicious.
Tidbit from Merriam-Webster: “Meretricious can be traced back to the Latin
verb merere, meaning ‘to earn, gain, or deserve.’ It shares this origin with a small group of other
English words, including ‘merit, meritorious, and emeritus.’ But, while these words can suggest some degree of
honor or esteem, ‘meretricious’ is used to suggest pretense, insincerity, and cheap or tawdry ornamentation.”