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
Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
Frank, who died in 2021, became one of the most gifted and flamboyant footballers England has produced, starring for Leicester City in particular and entertaining crowds in the 1960s, 1970s and well into the 1980s.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Precisely tailored pieces were paired with intricate and flamboyant textures, from a top hand embroidered with crystal briolettes and round glass beads to the luminous shimmer of skirts in leather and recycled fiberglass.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
The new Alfa Romeo just isn’t flamboyant enough.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
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Adjective
While these cats are a bit smaller than their African cousins, their flamboyant fur makes up for it.
—Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
Frank, who died in 2021, became one of the most gifted and flamboyant footballers England has produced, starring for Leicester City in particular and entertaining crowds in the 1960s, 1970s and well into the 1980s.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Precisely tailored pieces were paired with intricate and flamboyant textures, from a top hand embroidered with crystal briolettes and round glass beads to the luminous shimmer of skirts in leather and recycled fiberglass.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
The new Alfa Romeo just isn’t flamboyant enough.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 27 Sep. 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 17 Oct. 2025.
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