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
• splashy
• neat
• jazzy
• chic
• loud
• cool
• fresh
• custom
• designer
• smart
• pizzazzy
• hip
• showy
• dashing
• gaudy
• trendy
• dapper
• glitzy
• striking
• faddish
• flamboyant
• garish
• ostentatious
• spruce
• snappy
• natty
• sharp
• swish
• wild
• chichi
• modish
• 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• out-of-date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
• ornate
• extravagant
• fancy
• splashy
• flaring
• excessive
• swank
• razzle-dazzle
• bright
• over-the-top
• pretentious
• overwrought
• spectacular
• baroque
• 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

The elegant contemporary interiors are not flashy, but rather exude understated luxury with subtle nautical details. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026

Other teams had flashier offseasons. —Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026

Nearby, flashy, new supperclub Delilah opened recently, as did modern Chinese restaurant Night Rooster. —Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026

Too big, too flashy, too red, too everything — a tacky pile of bombast in the vein of the Fontainebleau Hotel. —Christopher Robbins, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026