Synonyms

flashy

American

[flash-ee] / ˈflæʃ i /

adjective

flashier, flashiest

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

a flashy performance.
ostentatiously or vulgarly smart; showy; gaudy.

flashy clothes.

flashy British

/ ˈflæʃɪ /

adjective

brilliant and dazzling, esp for a short time or in a superficial way
cheap and ostentatious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See gaudy ¹.

Other Word Forms

flashily adverb
flashiness noun
unflashy adjective

Etymology

Origin of flashy

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

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.

They weren’t always the flashiest businesses, but they built the Baltimore company into a grocery store mainstay.

From The Wall Street Journal

He says he tries to avoid being flashy himself.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

He opts for a flashy shocker of a finale, which violates the play’s comic naturalism and seems faintly desperate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scaringe said the robotics industry has been flooded with flashy demonstrations that showcase stunts rather than useful work in factories.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023