What does kitsch mean?
Kitsch is a mass noun for art, décor, imagery, or style that is considered tasteless because it openly seeks an emotional response. It commonly refers to exaggerated innocence, nostalgia, sentimentality, and idealized versions of domestic life or happiness. The word often implies that such material is commercially calculated and aesthetically crude, although it can also be used more neutrally to name a recognizable aesthetic. As an adjective, kitsch describes the objects or qualities involved: for example, kitsch figurines, kitsch advertising, or a kitsch appeal. The term is related to, but not identical with, camp. Camp is usually deliberate and knowingly exaggerated, while kitsch is typically judged as maudlin, mawkish, or tawdry. Kitsch is especially useful when discussing popular culture and visual design because it distinguishes emotional impact from aesthetic quality, showing when the power of a work comes primarily from engineered sentiment rather than subtlety, craft, or originality.
Art, décor, imagery, or style regarded as excessively sentimental, contrived, or tasteless.
"The exhibition was dismissed as kitsch by critics."
Kitsch is a mass noun and normally does not take a plural form. It is generally informal and critical.
Excessively sentimental, contrived, or calculated to provoke an immediate emotional response.
"The room was filled with kitsch novelty ornaments."
The adjective is less common than the noun but is established in both British and American English.
Kitsch names the moment when a trifle tries so hard to move us that we see the manipulation—and still may feel something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of kitsch
The word entered English from German Kitsch, a term associated with the German adjective kitschig, meaning appealing in an immediately emotional or obvious way. The English borrowing appeared in the 1920s and initially referred to a type of mass-produced art regarded as vulgar or sentimental. Its meaning later broadened to describe cultural objects and styles more generally, including advertising, entertainment, décor, and other forms of popular culture.
Related word forms
How kitsch is actually used
Kitsch is informal and usually critical. It is most often used for visual art, décor, entertainment, advertising, and popular culture, and it can describe either the material itself or its intentionally sentimental appeal.
Easily confused with kitsch
Kitsch is generally viewed as unintentionally tasteless or sentimental, whereas camp is a deliberately exaggerated, theatrical, or playful style.
Kitsch focuses on emotional sentiment and calculated appeal, while gaudy primarily describes conspicuous brightness, colour, or ornament.