FRILLY Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

frilly

adjective

Definition of frilly

as in showy

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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 frilly From feathery clutches to frilly brooches, fashion week guests are using the playful texture to give their looks an unexpected pop. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 10 Sep. 2026 The company does, though, sell a scarf called Tulipomanie, covered in frilly blooms of an exquisiteness that seems to rebut the charge of excess hype with a wink. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Ava Max steps out in the New York City neighborhood of East Village on July 17, in a quirky look of an oversized hat an frilly shirt. — People Staff, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 This frilly stripe and solid one-piece is almost too pretty to get wet. — Jessica Benavides Canepa, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026 Interestingly, her bandmate Tzuyu’s frilly bloomers with garter-type ties did not fan flames on social media. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 June 2026 Plant species with contrasting textures, such as frilly ferns with the large, bold leaves of hosta. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2026 The analog girl in a digital world took the stage on Sunday evening to close out the festival wearing what looked like a mushroom cap on her head, accented by a frilly, droopy outfit that looked like it was designed by psilocybin. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 1 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frilly

Adjective

In late spring and summer, the showy flowers emit a light scent and attract all kinds of pollinators.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2026
The modern version is far more sumptuous than the hard-wearing trousers of our youth—an everyman’s velvet, rich but rarely showy.

— John Vorwald, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of showy

Adjective

Unlike other Republican lawmakers, Lombardo has also shied away from the provocations and flamboyant pugilism of the MAGA movement.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Witty, bitter, flamboyant, and emotionally grounded, the dialogue swings, delightfully, between intimate exchanges and grandiloquent soliloquies, capturing the vulnerability of idealists in the face of evil.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of flamboyant

Adjective

His prose is noted for its rhetorical, exuberant style and use of satire.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
The exit polls suggested his opponents — led by Netanyahu’s chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, who also rallied exuberant supporters in Tel Aviv early on Wednesday — could secure a solid majority in the next parliament.

— Giovanna Dell'Orto, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of exuberant

Adjective

But a new novel by Lucy Foley is setting Poirot aside and blowing the dust off the mild-mannered Marple by whisking her away to an extravagant Swiss Alps adventure.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2026
The ultimate reward isn’t retiring on a beach or buying something extravagant.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of extravagant

Adjective

This is offset by a Desert Khaki nubuck base, which helps to ground the otherwise ostentatious look while also adding an autumnal tone.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York | Set to a jazzy score and shot on the streets, this movie is filled with life, though not in an ostentatious, masquerading way.

— Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of ostentatious

Adjective

At the end of the day, and of his essay, Thiel’s grandiose language and project is shown to be a rather ordinary ideological one.

— David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
The grandiose panic room where Kate and Hal are locked down after the shooting was filmed in the crypt of a church on the Upper West Side.

— Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of grandiose

Adjective

This all plays out with a lot of frequent jarring tonal mismatches, and some bafflingly overwrought dramatic beats, especially around Vision’s makeshift self-repair.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
While there is a deep respect for heritage that runs through their properties, the connection isn’t overwrought or explicit.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of overwrought

Adjective

Naval engineers built elegant streets lined with glass balconies that became the envy of northwestern Spain, and more than a century later, Spain’s future dictator, Francisco Franco, the son of a naval officer, was born there.

— Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Lié Studio The Eva Weekend tote $870 This sleek bag is the leather tote at its most elegant—roomy enough to hold travel essentials and crafted in luxurious Portuguese leather.

— Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of elegant

Browse Nearby Words

frills

frilly

fringe

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“Frilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frilly. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of frilly

adjective

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