flashy
Americanadjective
-
sparkling or brilliant, especially in a superficial way or for the moment.
a flashy performance.
-
ostentatiously or vulgarly smart; showy; gaudy.
flashy clothes.
adjective
-
brilliant and dazzling, esp for a short time or in a superficial way
-
cheap and ostentatious
Related Words
See gaudy 1.
Other Word Forms
- flashily adverb
- flashiness noun
- unflashy adjective
Etymology
Origin of flashy
Explanation
To be flashy is to be showy in a tasteless way. Just like a flash of light is hard to ignore, flashy behavior draws attention. Do you know anyone who is a show-off? That person is probably flashy. Wearing brightly colored rings is flashy. Buying a sports car is flashy. Boasting about how much money you have is flashy. Flashy behavior is the opposite of classy: it consists of showing off things in a loud, obnoxious way.
Vocabulary lists containing flashy
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Long Way Down
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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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.
Mr. Swinson, himself a former police detective, isn’t a flashy writer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“Young investors tend to own stocks in flashy sectors and industries like technology,” he says.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
There are no flashy graphics on Rough & Tumble.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
While Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies have grown their private-market valuations substantially in recent months, this isn’t the first time that closed-end funds offering access to flashy private companies have trended.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026
She could see that his hair was neatly cut and he was wearing an expensive new tan suit and a flashy new wristwatch.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
