flamboyant

1 of 2

adjective

flam·​boy·​ant flam-ˈbȯi-ənt 

1

: marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior that attracts attention

a flamboyant performer

… the women and girls clad in dismal … dresses that made us Presbyterians seem almost flamboyant.

—Sue Monk Kidd

2

often Flamboyant : characterized by waving curves suggesting flames

flamboyant tracery

flamboyant architecture

flamboyantly adverb

flamboyant

2 of 2

noun

: royal poinciana

Did you know?

Flamboyant, which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to Old French flambe, meaning "flame." In its earliest uses flamboyant referred to a style of architecture, often in the florid French Gothic style, which featured waving curves that suggested flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. And of course, Old French flambe is also the origin of the English adjective flambé.

Synonyms of flamboyant

Adjective

• prominent
• noticeable
• dramatic
• commanding
• remarkable
• impressive
• showy
• striking

Examples of flamboyant in a Sentence

Adjective

Crazy artists, or flamboyant ones, can be strangely comforting. We feel we understand where their visions come from; we're lulled by the symmetry of turbulent art and turbulent lives. —Stephen Schiff, New Yorker, 28 Dec. 1992–4 Jan. 1993

Equally flamboyant is the group's singer, Andy Bell, who prances around the stage dressed at various times like an astronaut, a space creature or a Mexican senorita. —Jim Farber, Video Review, August 1990

… he was living in the flamboyant, urbane manner he craved, in an apartment that suited his Balzacian fantasies of success … —Raymond Sokolov, Wayward Reporter, 1980

the flamboyant gestures of the conductor

has a gallery of flamboyant gestures that makes him easy to imitate

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Four long years, during which the relationship between the flashy, flamboyant player and the sometimes-stodgy organization that turned him into a Charlotte legend seemed to spoil, turning almost rotten at times. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026

Crafted in 14-karat yellow gold—Presley’s metal of choice—the bold piece is a testament to the King’s wonderfully flamboyant style at that time. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2026

In this autofictional novel, Huisman describes growing up in Paris with her beautiful, bipolar mother and iconoclastic, flamboyant father. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026

The photos, taken by Val Wilmer, spotlight the young, soon-to-be-global sensation being flamboyant as ever, decked out in a fur coat and jet-black sunglasses. —Air Mail, 3 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

French, from present participle of flamboyer to flame, from Old French, from flambe

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for flamboyant

• clairvoyant
• buoyant

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Kids Definition

flamboyant

adjective

flam·​boy·​ant

flam-ˈbȯi-ənt

: tending to make a striking display : showy

flamboyantly adverb