tarted up
Made garishly attractive
Tarted up means dressed or decorated in a flashy, gaudy, or cheap-looking way.
The phrase suggests excessive or tasteless ornamentation: She showed up all tarted up in sequins and fake fur.
It can describe places as well as people: They tarted up the old pub with neon signs and plastic plants.
The implication is trying too hard to look attractive or impressive, with unflattering results.
- dolled upElaborately dressed or adorned
- dressed upWearing formal clothing
- showyExcessively eye-catching
- dressed to killExtremely stylishly clothed
- spruced upMade more attractive
all dolled up · renovated · revamped · refurbished · adorned · bedazzled · tricked out · gussied up · ostentatious · over the top · superficial · embellished · glitz · polished · flashy · reworked · upgraded · gaudy
- dressed updressed up, dolled up, decked out, spruced up, gussied up
tarted upplain
Basic and unremarkable
unadorned · stripped down · bare · undecorated · unembellished
tarted upnatural
Not artificially produced
unaltered · au naturel · unadorned · untouched · unadulterated