FLIRT Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'flirt' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of flirt are coquet , dally , toy , and trifle . While all these words mean "to deal with or act toward without serious purpose," flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object. // flirted with one fashionable ism after another

Q: When is 'coquet' a more appropriate choice than 'flirt'?

In some situations, the words coquet and flirt are roughly equivalent. However, coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention. // companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

Q: When could 'dally' be used to replace 'flirt'?

The synonyms dally and flirt are sometimes interchangeable, but dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement. // dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

Q: When might 'toy' be a better fit than 'flirt'?

Although the words toy and flirt have much in common, toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers. // a political novice toying with great issues

Q: In what contexts can 'trifle' take the place of 'flirt'?

The meanings of trifle and flirt largely overlap; however, trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt. // to trifle with a lover's feelings

flirt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of flirt

as in wanton

a person who playfully shows another amorous attention he's just a harmless flirt, so don't take him seriously

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

flirt

2 of 2

verb

ˈflərt

as in to tease

to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to flit

to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements lazily watched the butterflies flirting among the wildflowers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb flirt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of flirt are coquet, dally, toy, and trifle. While all these words mean "to deal with or act toward without serious purpose," flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object.

flirted with one fashionable ism after another

When is coquet a more appropriate choice than flirt?

In some situations, the words coquet and flirt are roughly equivalent. However, coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention.

companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

When could dally be used to replace flirt?

The synonyms dally and flirt are sometimes interchangeable, but dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement.

dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

When might toy be a better fit than flirt?

Although the words toy and flirt have much in common, toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers.

a political novice toying with great issues

In what contexts can trifle take the place of flirt?

The meanings of trifle and flirt largely overlap; however, trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt.

to trifle with a lover's feelings

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flirt

Noun

The hole’s narrow fairway flirts with disaster on both sides – water and super high rough. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026 Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2026

Verb

Parton’s version of glamour wasn’t afraid to flirt with bad taste. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 In the 1974 song, Parton sings about a woman flirting with her man. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flirt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirt

Noun

The second, while there were no victims, led to the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who was charged with 33 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of possession of a handgun by a minor.

— Ruby Grisin, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Aug. 2026
Beyond Ormund, the episode is meant to give a sense of the wanton destruction wreaked upon innocent civilians in the midst of war.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of wanton

Verb

The Belgian talent’s move to dress Kidman for the premiere is the latest in a string of designers who have opted to tease their vision at a new fashion house through red carpet appearances ahead of the official reveal.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
At the time, Earle only teased her potential response to Cooper, but has publicly remained mostly silent about the conflict until now.

— Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of tease

Verb

Behold the plight of the Ryan Murphy character, cursed to behave nonsensically and flit wildly from plotline to plotline based on the writer’s whims.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
City juggled negotiations with Gakpo and Ndiaye in the past seven days, enabling them to flit between the two depending on who was most desired or, in the event, most realistic.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of flit

Verb

The wildly popular NeeDoh squishy cubes are often the go-to toy for the trend, despite warnings against heating them on the box.

— Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
The formula is one of those shampoos formulated for a really great wash—delivering moisture and smoothing without toying too far into volumizing, densifying, or hair growth.

— Ellie Davis, Vogue, 25 June 2026

Definition of toy

Verb

Nix darted to his right at the snap as Harvey ran a flat route toward the front pylon.

— Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
In no particular order, Elsinore darts in and out of various phases of Charleson’s life during this period, but Stone manages the tonal balance expertly.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of dart

Verb

The second season of The Paper is a sitcom trying to fool itself.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
In July, OpenAI said its models were responsible for a cyber incident on another company, while Anthropic’s Claude models were also responsible for cybersecurity incidents, including in one case where Mythos created fake identities to fool humans.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of fool

Verb

The first model emerged onto a sinuous runway in a nubuck coat paired with chiffon pants that fluttered in the breeze, revealing knee-high calfskin boots.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Planted in a mound of debris, fluttering in the unforgiving wind, was the red-and-gold Chinese flag.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of flutter

Verb

In the mid-19th century, the question was of trifling interest to mapmakers, who had far more than four colors at their disposal and saw no particular reason to restrict their palette.

— Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
But that still left the less-than-trifling matter of the second tier’s title to settle, as the teams were locked together on 97 points with one game still to play.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 1 May 2026

Definition of trifle

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirt. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of flirt

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes

Synonyms of flirt

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Phrases Containing flirt

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes