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.
“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
Bellarmine and his older brother Robert Jr have made headlines over the years for their flashy lifestyles in the face of rising poverty in Zimbabwe.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
Many white slaveholders, especially in Virginia’s upper-class homes, considered mixed-race people a sort of status symbol, just as some people today think of a flashy car or an expensive new smartphone.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
