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
Sue Monk Kidd2
often Flamboyant
: characterized by waving curves suggesting flames
flamboyant tracery
flamboyant architecture
flamboyantly
adverb
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.
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
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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2026
Vivacious Peacock Spiders Peacock spiders have one of the most elaborate and flamboyant courtship rituals of any arachnid.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Anything more flamboyant might have been an unwelcome distraction.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Versatility also widens the door of opportunity in modern soccer, where center backs are expected to capitalize on offensive set pieces, strikers to defend in a high press and fullbacks to be as technically flamboyant as wingers.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
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Adjective
Many variants of the body exist, the most flamboyant is the 202 MM, designed for the 1947 racing season and distinguished by two tail fins worthy of the fanciest guppy.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2026
Vivacious Peacock Spiders Peacock spiders have one of the most elaborate and flamboyant courtship rituals of any arachnid.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Anything more flamboyant might have been an unwelcome distraction.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Versatility also widens the door of opportunity in modern soccer, where center backs are expected to capitalize on offensive set pieces, strikers to defend in a high press and fullbacks to be as technically flamboyant as wingers.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
Cite this Entry
“Flamboyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamboyant. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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