flashy
Americanadjective
-
flashier,
comparative
-
flashiest
superlative
-
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
Synonym Usage
See gaudy 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Afolabi Kazeem Michael, who is 49 and known online as KC Luxury, presented himself as a businessman and influencer dealing in gold and luxury goods, and regularly posted videos of his flashy cars.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The accidents at refineries in the cities of the South Bay are most spectacular — stinky or flashy, with flames you can see on the TV news if not from where you live.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But as chipmakers plough resources into lucrative HBM, shortages of the less flashy memory chips in everyday consumer electronics are pushing up prices, with Apple hiking the cost of its MacBooks and iPads.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
The new model was flashy, black-light entertainment with thumping music, huge video screens, arcade games and claw machines, along with upscale food and drink at double or triple the prices of standard bowling-alley fare.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Nan’s selection of remnants was a little flashy for my tastes, but I figured she hadn’t come to hear my advice.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
The high school in this well-off nook of the Berkshires has for a century shunned the Wildcats, Falcons, Bulldogs and other popular mascots in favor of the flashier “Lenox Millionaires.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
A newer, flashier toy posing a threat to the established order has been a running theme of the “Toy Story” franchise from the very beginning.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
The flashier categories tend to be awarded during the primetime telecast, which airs Sunday from Los Angeles.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Instead, L.A.’s salsa influence came from Golden Age Hollywood, where Latin dance in movies produced a singular, flashier Angeleno style, characterized by quick turns and theatrical movement, according to salsa historian Juliet McMains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025
He liked to shoot pool in his spare time, he played cards and dressed like a man from a much flashier part of the country.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Wagner notes that the 5-foot-7 player’s game isn’t the flashiest, but describes her as a “silent killer” who excels at “redirecting pace, standing close to the baseline, constantly putting pressure on her opponents.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The first-order winners may not be the flashiest robot brands.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
The annual Border Security Expo, a trade show catering to Department of Homeland Security personnel, provides an array of companies showing off the newest, flashiest technology they are eager to sell to the U.S. government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
The winners are no longer the flashiest growth stories, but operators that can keep a tight grip on costs while convincing consumers that a meal out is still worth the money.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
Of course, Katherine would naturally grab the flashiest weapons available.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
