poshlost means in Russian culture, a negative human character trait, variously defined as petty evil, self-satisfied vulgarity, or obscenity and bad taste. It carries an Arena rating of 1747, earned across 44 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, poshlost ranks #133 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #347 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #799 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,190 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “poshlost” is a great word
POSHLOST — [Noun] A Russian concept describing self-satisfied vulgarity, pretentious bad taste, or petty, trivial evil. Borrowed from Russian по́шлость (póšlostʹ), an abstract noun derived from the adjective пошлый (póšlyj), meaning 'vulgar, banal, trivial'. Unlike "kitsch," which denotes garish sentimentality, or "banality," which implies mere unoriginality, poshlost is the deeper, insidious quality of spiritual emptiness masquerading as depth. It is the gilded plastic of a false luxury item, the smug platitude uttered in lieu of thought, and the petty cruelty justified as sophistication—the quiet, corrosive tyranny of the ersatz over the authentic.
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian по́шлость (póšlostʹ).
noun
- In Russian culture, a negative human character trait, variously defined as petty evil, self-satisfied vulgarity, or obscenity and bad taste.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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