Synonyms of flashy

flashy

adjective

ˈfla-shē 

1

as in stylish

attractively eye-catching in style

I bought a flashy new car as soon as I got my first paycheck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stylish
• snazzy
• fashionable
• neat
• cool
• splashy
• chic
• jazzy
• fresh
• custom
• designer
• smart
• loud
• dashing
• pizazzy
• hip
• pizzazzy
• showy
• wild
• gaudy
• spruce
• trendy
• dapper
• glitzy
• striking
• faddish
• flamboyant
• garish
• ostentatious
• snappy
• natty
• swish
• chichi
• sharp
• swanky
• modish
• a la mode
• glittery
• in
• happening
• swank
• rakish
• raffish
• jaunty
• à la mode

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• plain
• modest
• quiet
• unadorned
• understated
• conservative
• subdued
• unpretentious
• restrained
• muted
• unfashionable
• toned-down
• old-fashioned
• outmoded
• out-of-date
• unstylish
• styleless
• passé
• démodé

2

as in loud

excessively showy

wore flashy rings on almost all the fingers of his left hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loud
• noisy
• gaudy
• glitzy
• flamboyant
• garish
• ostentatious
• extravagant
• ornate
• fancy
• swanky
• splashy
• flaring
• excessive
• swank
• razzle-dazzle
• bright
• over-the-top
• pretentious
• overwrought
• baroque
• spectacular
• snazzy
• glaring
• hammy
• fulsome
• tawdry
• glittery
• overdone
• tacky
• florid
• lurid
• blaring
• vulgar
• inelegant
• tasteless
• bedizened
• overbright
• zooty
• tinselly
• graceless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conservative
• understated
• appropriate
• quiet
• proper
• fitting
• unflashy
• inconspicuous
• unobtrusive
• elegant
• subdued
• restrained
• muted
• graceful
• unflamboyant
• tasteful
• simple
• toned (down)
• plain
• modest
• unpretentious

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective flashy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flashy are garish, gaudy, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

When can garish be used instead of flashy?

Although the words garish and flashy have much in common, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

When is it sensible to use gaudy instead of flashy?

The meanings of gaudy and flashy largely overlap; however, gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When might meretricious be a better fit than flashy?

The synonyms meretricious and flashy are sometimes interchangeable, but meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

When would tawdry be a good substitute for flashy?

In some situations, the words tawdry and flashy are roughly equivalent. However, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flashy

Its unique exterior styling attracts attention, not from being gawdy or flashy but from bold handsomeness. —James Raia, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025

Unlike many other beavers, these specific beavers were willing to dam a flashy urban stream. —Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025

Rather than flashy chatbots or surface-level features, AI can detect major changes such as buying a home and then prompt clients to revisit their estate plans. —Cody Barbo, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Josh Allen did not put up flashy numbers in Week 2, but continues to lead the team, and the defense has stepped up even with Ed Oliver and Matt Milano out. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025