flam·boy·ant
flam-ˈbȯi-ənt 
1
: marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior
a flamboyant performer
2
often capitalized
: characterized by waving curves suggesting flames
flamboyant tracery
flamboyant architecture
flamboyantly
adverb
Did you know?
Flamboyant, which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to Old French flambe, meaning "flame." In its earliest uses flamboyant referred to a style of architecture, often in the florid French Gothic style, which featured waving curves that suggested flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. And of course, Old French flambe is also the origin of the English adjective flambé.
Synonyms
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
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
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
Wearing a flamboyant wizard’s cape and perched behind a bank of cutting-edge synthesizers, Wakeman blasted lore-heavy songs derived on Arthurian legends.
—Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
The humor, an integral part of the playwright’s flamboyant arsenal, is also missed.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
In addition, there are other pastries and fun and flamboyant flavors.
—Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flamboyant 
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.
Adjective
The graying convict sat slumped in a wheelchair — a far cry from the flamboyant woman who sometimes was mistaken for actress Elizabeth Taylor and who glided through rooms enveloped in the scent of gardenias, Kimes’ dad’s favorite scent.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
Wearing a flamboyant wizard’s cape and perched behind a bank of cutting-edge synthesizers, Wakeman blasted lore-heavy songs derived on Arthurian legends.
—Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
The humor, an integral part of the playwright’s flamboyant arsenal, is also missed.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
In addition, there are other pastries and fun and flamboyant flavors.
—Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flamboyant
Dictionary Entries Near flamboyant
Cite this Entry
“Flamboyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamboyant. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share