Kenneth G. Wilson (1923). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
meretricious, meritorious (adjs.)
Meretricious means fake, flashy, tawdry, attractive but bad, like a prostitute: His arguments seemed attractive at first, but they proved to be meretricious through and through. Meritorious means deserving of praise, reward, and honor: Her citation was for meritorious service.