flashy

[flash-ee]

adjective

flashier, flashiest 

1. sparkling or brilliant, especially in a superficial way or for the moment.

   a flashy performance.

2. ostentatiously or vulgarly smart; showy; gaudy.

   flashy clothes.

flashy

/ ˈflæʃɪ /

adjective

1. brilliant and dazzling, esp for a short time or in a superficial way

2. cheap and ostentatious

Other Word Forms

• flashily adverb
• flashiness noun
• unflashy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flashy¹

First recorded in 1575–85; flash + -y ¹

Synonym Study

See gaudy ¹.

Example Sentences

If you don’t know those names, you are probably not among the Indian retail investors pouring $3 billion a month into their Systematic Investment Plans, and hunting for big kills with flashy new-economy profiles.

Read more on Barron's

“But remember your station! Nothing too flashy. I would not have people saying the Ashtons’ governess was pleasant to look upon.

Read more on Literature

It was one of the new shiny red Bloomer engines, a flashy piece of engineering and full of pep, too.

Read more on Literature

With so much going on, there’s no time to make any of the action truly engaging, especially given Mr. Fleischer’s rigid determination to be as flashy as possible all of the time.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Forcing the government shutdown was a classic Schumer gambit—flashy and misguided.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• garish 
• gaudy 
• glittering www.thesaurus.com
• glittery 
• jazzy 
• ostentatious 
• showy 
• snazzy 
• tacky