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?

Associate the word flamboyant with bananas flambé and the word’s fiery etymology will be seared in your mind. Flamboyant, which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to the Old French word flambe, meaning “flame.” In its earliest uses flamboyant referred to an ornate style of Gothic architecture popular in France and Spain, which featured waving curves suggestive of flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. And of course, flambe is also the origin of the English adjective flambé, which describes food flamboyantly dressed or served with flaming liquor.

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

And while von Furstenberg gravitated to something more minimalist and streamlined for her look, there’s plenty of options out there for the more flamboyant sun-seekers, too. — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026

Her father, Robert Maxwell, was a flamboyant billionaire and larger-than-life British icon and media tycoon in the 1970s and 1980s. — James Hill, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Her full-on embrace of a femininity that was simultaneously flamboyant and unapologetic was always a conscious move. — CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

The style icon was known for her flamboyant Western style, which leaned heavily on rhinestones, fringe, leather, and metallics. — Kelsey Stiegman, InStyle, 25 Aug. 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