flagrant
Americanadjective
-
shockingly noticeable or evident; obvious; glaring.
a flagrant error.
-
notorious; scandalous.
a flagrant crime; a flagrant offender.
- Synonyms:
- egregious, monstrous, disgraceful
-
Archaic. blazing, burning, or glowing.
adjective
-
openly outrageous
-
obsolete burning or blazing
Synonym Usage
Flagrant, glaring, gross, outrageous, rank are adjectives suggesting extreme offensiveness. Flagrant, with a root sense of flaming or flaring, suggests evil or immorality so evident that it cannot be ignored or overlooked: a flagrant violation of the law. Glaring, meaning “shining brightly,” is similar to flagrant in emphasizing conspicuousness but usually lacks the imputation of immorality: a glaring error in computing the interest. Gross, which basically signifies excessive size, is even more negative in implication than the foregoing two terms, suggesting a mistake or impropriety of major proportions: a gross miscarriage of justice. Outrageous describes acts so far beyond the limits of decent behavior or accepted standards as to be totally insupportable: an outrageous abuse of the public trust. Rank, with its suggestion of bad odor, describes open offensiveness of the most objectionable kind, inviting total and unalloyed disapprobation: rank dishonesty, stinking to high heaven; Only rank stupidity would countenance such a step.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flagrant
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin flagrant- (stem of flagrāns ), present participle of flagrāre “to burn”; see -ant
Explanation
Something flagrant is bad — so bad you can't ignore it. A flagrant foul in sports might send you to the bench, and a flagrant violation of the law might send you to the slammer. The current meaning of the adjective flagrant — "obviously offensive or disgraceful" — is thought to derive from the Latin legal term in flagrante delicto, which literally meant "with fire still blazing" and is used figuratively to describe a situation in which the criminal is caught red handed. Aside from a flagrant abuse of the law, the word can also be used to describe anything that is obviously bad — like flagrant bad taste or flagrant abuse of the rules of grammar.
Vocabulary lists containing flagrant
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 11, List 1
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The Scarlet Letter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That imbalance is precisely why “Supergirl” being a flagrant misstep is such a disappointment.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Toronto Tempo’s Isabelle Harrison was ejected from the game for committing a flagrant foul against the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant foul after catching Towns with an elbow to the face early in the third quarter.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
It added that "the targeting of peaceful nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN charter, and the principles of humanitarian law".
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
“Who has paid off this ref? That was a flagrant foul! Unbelievable!”
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
