flam·boy·ant
flam-ˈbȯi-ənt 
1
: marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior
a flamboyant performer
2
often capitalized
: 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
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
By 2023, the Golden Vines® had come to Paris, with Alain Ducasse preparing a sumptuous menu alongside highlights like Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux’s Echézeaux Grand Cru and, the world’s most expensive wine, Liber Pater, at the flamboyant Opéra Garnier.
—Liquid Icons, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s Intel and its line of Gaudi chips, named after famed architect Antoni Gaudi and his flamboyant style of building.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In flamboyant Leo, the love planet is bold and radiant, thriving on passion, adoration and the spotlight, whether through grand romantic gestures or creative self-expression.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
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Adjective
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Spanish Harlem, Camacho rose up the boxing ranks in New York in the 1980s, and made a name for himself for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
By 2023, the Golden Vines® had come to Paris, with Alain Ducasse preparing a sumptuous menu alongside highlights like Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux’s Echézeaux Grand Cru and, the world’s most expensive wine, Liber Pater, at the flamboyant Opéra Garnier.
—Liquid Icons, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s Intel and its line of Gaudi chips, named after famed architect Antoni Gaudi and his flamboyant style of building.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In flamboyant Leo, the love planet is bold and radiant, thriving on passion, adoration and the spotlight, whether through grand romantic gestures or creative self-expression.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
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 Sep. 2025.
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