flair
Americannoun
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a natural talent, aptitude, or ability; bent; knack.
a flair for rhyming.
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smartness of style, manner, etc..
Their window display has absolutely no flair at all.
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keen, intuitive perception or discernment.
We want a casting director with a real flair for finding dramatic talent.
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Hunting. scent; sense of smell.
noun
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natural ability; talent; aptitude
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instinctive discernment; perceptiveness
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stylishness or elegance; dash
to dress with flair
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rare hunting
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the scent left by quarry
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the sense of smell of a hound
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noun
Etymology
Origin of flair
First recorded before 1350–1400; Middle English, from French, Old French: “scent,” noun derivative of flairier “to reek,” ultimately from unattested Vulgar Latin flāgrāre, dissimilated variant of Latin frāgrāre; see origin at fragrant
Explanation
Use the word flair to refer to someone’s knack or natural talent for something. Someone might have a flair for throwing fantastic parties, or a flair for solving complex math problems. Something or someone with flair is flashy, catchy and full of energy. But oddly enough, flair meant "odor" when it originated in the mid 14th century. It wasn’t until 1925 that the word came to mean a distinctive talent, elegant style or dashing ability. So maybe think of someone absolutely reeking of style and panache — but in a good way.
Vocabulary lists containing flair
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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.
French President Emmanuel Macron personally sought to inject a dose of European flair into the show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Lelo Mzaca, a fellow journalist, remembered him as a man who lived a "colourful, energetic life" and brought enthusiasm and flair to sports broadcasting.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
While Jobs favored theatrical flair and his iconic black turtleneck, Cook keeps more of an everyman profile.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
The actor again stole the show with theatrical flair as the Lord of Darkness in Ridley Scott’s bleak 1985 fantasy “Legend,” playing a demonic horned figure opposite Tom Cruise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“When I was young, I had much more of a flair for drama. I went to glean a man who fancied himself a fencer. So I challenged him to a duel.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
