fripperies
Showy but worthless
Fripperies are showy but worthless things—fancy ornaments, flashy accessories, or pretentious displays that lack substance.
The word carries mild contempt for excessive decoration or frivolous concerns: She had no patience for fripperies like lace doilies and china figurines.
Frippery in the singular can mean this kind of thing collectively or the quality of showiness itself.
Minor decorative objects
- baublesShowy worthless ornaments
- adornmentsDecorative accessories worn or displayed
- embellishmentsDecorative extras added on
- fineryElegant, showy clothing
flourishes · accoutrements · tinsel · festoons · gewgaws · knickknacks · bric-a-brac · gimcracks
Supplementary items or adornments
- fadsShort-lived popular phenomena
- trendsPrevailing directions of change
- voguePrevailing popular style
- frillsSuperfluous decorative elements
lace · bows · ruffles · flounces · furbelows · plumes · feathers · costume jewelry
Insignificant things
- nonsenseMeaningless words or actions
- fluffLight, soft fibers
- triviaUnimportant miscellaneous facts
- bagatellesThings of little importance
fiddle-faddle · piffle · folderol · froth · ephemera · whimsy · silliness · foolery
Non-essential costly pleasures
- indulgencesExcessive self-granted pleasures
- extravagancesWasteful or lavish expenditures
- superfluitiesUnnecessary surplus items
- excessesImmoderate amounts or behaviors
splurges · nonessentials · unnecessaries · inessentials · vanities · ostentation · showiness · gaudiness
trinkets
Minor decorative objects
- baublesShowy worthless ornaments
- adornmentsDecorative accessories worn or displayed
- embellishmentsDecorative extras added on
finery · flourishes · accoutrements · tinsel · festoons · gewgaws · knickknacks · bric-a-brac · gimcracks · furbelows
accessories
Supplementary items or adornments
frills · lace · bows · ruffles · flounces · furbelows · plumes · feathers · costume jewelry · bangles
trifles
Insignificant things
bagatelles · fiddle-faddle · piffle · folderol · froth · ephemera · whimsy · silliness · foolery · frivolousness
luxuries
Non-essential costly pleasures
- indulgencesExcessive self-granted pleasures
- extravagancesWasteful or lavish expenditures
- superfluitiesUnnecessary surplus items
excesses · splurges · nonessentials · unnecessaries · inessentials · vanities · ostentation · showiness · gaudiness · flashiness
- knickknackstchotchkes, trinkets, curios, bric-a-brac, gewgaws
fripperiesnecessities
What you cannot lack
essentials · necessaries · staples · basics · fundamentals
fripperiesplainness
Unadorned, straightforward quality
austerity · simplicity · spareness · starkness · minimalism