flamboyant
Americanadjective
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strikingly bold or brilliant; showy.
flamboyant colors.
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conspicuously dashing and colorful.
the flamboyant idol of international society.
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florid; ornate; elaborately styled.
flamboyant speeches.
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Architecture.
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having the form of an ogee, as a bar of tracery.
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noting or pertaining to French Gothic architecture of the late 15th and early and middle 16th centuries, characterized by the use of flamboyant tracery, intricacy of detailing, virtuosity of workmanship, attenuation of parts, and frequent complication of interior space.
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noun
adjective
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elaborate or extravagant; florid; showy
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rich or brilliant in colour; resplendent
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exuberant or ostentatious
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of, denoting, or relating to the French Gothic style of architecture characterized by flamelike tracery and elaborate carving
noun
Other Word Forms
- flamboyance noun
- flamboyancy noun
- flamboyantly adverb
- unflamboyant adjective
- unflamboyantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of flamboyant
1825–35; < French, present participle of flamboyer to flame, flair, derivative of Old French flambe flame; -ant
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.
“What we didn’t like about progressive rock was that it was too flamboyant without substance,” Pack told The Times in 1999.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
A real showboater is someone whose very mention elicits warm, fuzzy memories of flamboyant flicks and trickery.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
The U.S., even under a less flamboyant president, would be prepared to risk a great deal to defend its prestige.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Known for his gravity-defying "stoppie" celebration, where he rides balancing only on his bike's front wheel, the flamboyant 29-year-old brings spectacular skill to the competition.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
The situation remained fairly stable until the flamboyant arrival of Lonna Leep, who’d spotted her son on the TV news.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
