flashier; flashiest
1
chiefly dialectal : lacking in substance or flavor : insipid
2
: momentarily dazzling
3
a
: superficially attractive or impressive
b
: ostentatious or showy often beyond the bounds of good taste
especially : marked by gaudy brightness
flashily adverb
flashiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for flashy

gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious mean vulgarly or cheaply showy.

gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

Examples of flashy in a Sentence

rich young men who drive flashy cars I bought the CD primarily for its flashy cover design.
Recent Examples on the Web While its interior design is less flashy than rivals from Ferrari and Lamborghini, the aesthetic is pleasing, and outward visibility is excellent. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 6 Jan. 2023 If McCarthy falls shorts, that hands leverage to people are every bit as extreme as Greene, though slightly less flashy about it—Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, and Matt Gaetz. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2023 This multi-colored high-low skirt will level up your style game and adds interest without being overly flashy. Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 28 Dec. 2022 Grassetti explains that the biggest difference between designing Greek and Norse gods is that, historically, the latter were not nearly as flashy. George Yang, Variety, 11 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for flashy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flashy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flashy was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near flashy

Cite this Entry

“Flashy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

flashy

adjective
flashier; flashiest
: gaudy
flashily adverb
flashiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on flashy

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!