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In the 14th century, if someone told you that you had flair (or flayre as it was then commonly spelled), you might very well take offense. This is because in Middle English flayre meant "an odor." The word is derived from the Old French verb flairier ("to give off an odor"), which came, in turn, from Late Latin flagrare, itself an alteration of fragrare. (The English words fragrant and fragrance also derive from fragrare.) The "odor" sense of flair fell out of use, but in the 19th century, English speakers once again borrowed flair from the French—this time (influenced by the Modern French use of the word for the sense of smell) to indicate a discriminating sense or instinctive discernment.
Examples of flair in a Sentence
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Bob Jenkins may not have been demonstrative in his tone, but the owner of one of the plaintiff Cup Series teams had a notable flair when expressing how NASCAR treated its teams during charter negotiations.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 4 Dec. 2025
The sisters’ comedic flair was woven throughout the speech.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 4 Dec. 2025
Anthony had the crowd singing and dancing along to his rendition of the hit, full of salsa flair.
—Jamie Knodel, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flair
Cite this Entry
“Flair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flair. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
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flair
noun
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