kitsch

kitsch

See also: Kitsch

English

WOTD – 19 September 2008

Etymology

From German Kitsch, from dialectal kitschen (“to coat, to smear”); the word and concept were popularized in the 1930s by several critics who contrasted it with avant garde art.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: kĭch, IPA^(key): /kɪt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtʃ
• Homophone: Kizh

Noun

kitsch (usually uncountable, plural kitsches)

1. Art, decorative objects, and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.
   • 1939, Clement Greenberg, “Avant Garde and Kitsch”, in The Partisan Review‎:

     Because it can be turned out mechanically, kitsch has become an integral part of our productive system in a way in which true culture could never be, except accidentally.

Synonyms

• camp

Derived terms

• kitschify
• kitschy

Translations

art of questionable artistic value

Azerbaijani: kitç Bulgarian: кич m (kič) Chinese: Mandarin: 媚俗 (zh) (mèisú), 刻奇 (kèqí), 畸趣 (jīqù) Czech: kýč (cs) m Dutch: kitsch (nl) Esperanto: kiĉo Finnish: rihkama (fi), kitsi (fi), kitsch (fi), krääsä (fi) French: kitsch (fr) m, kitch (fr) m German: Kitsch (de) m Greek: κιτς (el) (kits) Hebrew: קיטש‎ (he) Hungarian: giccs (hu) Italian: kitsch (it) m Japanese: キッチュ (kitchu) Korean: 키치 (kichi) Kyrgyz: кич (kiç), китч (kitç) Macedonian: кич m (kič) Persian: کیچ‎ (fa) Polish: kicz (pl) m Portuguese: kitsch (pt) Russian: китч (ru) m (kitč) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: кич m Roman: kič m Slovak: gýč m Spanish: kitsch (es) m, cursilería f Swedish: kitsch (sv) Ukrainian: кіч m (kič), кітч (uk) m (kitč)

Adjective

kitsch (comparative kitscher or more kitsch, superlative kitschest or most kitsch)

1. Of art and decor: of questionable aesthetic value; excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.
   • 1989, Graham Greene, Yours etc: Letters to the Press 1945-1989, page 243:

     […] a picture of lemur-eyed children of the sort one sees in the kitscher sort of Italian restaurant […]

   • June/July 1996, Robert Silberman, “The stuff of art: Judy Onofrio”, in American Craft, page 40-45:

     Abe Lincoln, Paul Bunyan and kitsch souvenir coconut heads come across as icons of masculinity.

   • spring 2005, Ronald Frame, “Critical Paranoia”, in Michigan Quarterly Review, page 285:

     I recognized her at once even though she wasn't wearing the tweed hunting outfit and the kitsch headwear.

Usage notes

• Although the forms kitscher and kitschest are attested, those formed on kitschy are more common, particularly for the comparative.

Synonyms

• corny

Translations

of questionable aesthetic value

Bulgarian: кичозен (kičozen) Czech: kýčovitý m Esperanto: kiĉa Finnish: kitsahtava, kruusattu French: kitsch (fr), quétaine (fr) (Quebec) German: kitschig (de) Hungarian: giccses (hu) Macedonian: кичест m (kičest) Polish: kiczowaty (pl) m Portuguese: kitsch (pt) Slovak: gýčovitý Spanish: kitsch (es) Swedish: kitschig (sv)

Anagrams

• schtik, shtick, skitch, thicks

---

French

Alternative forms

• kitch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kitʃ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

kitsch m (uncountable)

1. kitsch

Adjective

kitsch (invariable)

1. kitsch

Further reading

• “kitsch”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

---

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kitsch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkit͡ʃ/[1]
• Rhymes: -itʃ

Adjective

kitsch (invariable)

1. kitsch

   Synonym: pacchiano

Noun

kitsch m (uncountable)

1. kitsch

References

1. kitsch in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading

• kitsch in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

---

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kitsch.

Adjective

kitsch (invariable)

1. kitsch; kitschy (of questionable aesthetic value)

Noun

kitsch m (uncountable)

1. kitsch (art of questionable aesthetic value)

Further reading

• “kitsch” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

---

Romanian

Etymology

From German Kitsch.

Noun

kitsch n (plural kitschuri)

1. kitsch

Declension

Declension of kitsch

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) kitsch	kitschul	(niște) kitschuri	kitschurile
genitive/dative	(unui) kitsch	kitschului	(unor) kitschuri	kitschurilor
vocative	kitschule		kitschurilor

---

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kitsch.

Noun

kitsch m (uncountable)

1. kitsch

Adjective

kitsch (invariable)

1. kitschy

   Synonyms: cursi, hortera

Further reading

• “kitsch”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

---

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kitsch.

Pronunciation

• (Sweden) IPA^(key): /kɪtɧ/

Noun

kitsch c (uncountable)

1. kitsch

   Min mosters handmålade madonnastaty i elfenben är ren kitsch.

   My aunt’s hand-painted ivory Madonna statue is pure kitsch.

Declension

Declension of kitsch
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	kitsch	kitschen	—	—
Genitive	kitschs	kitschens	—	—

Derived terms

• kitschig

References

• kitsch in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• kitsch in Svensk ordbok (SO)