flowery
Americanadjective
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abounding in flowers
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decorated with flowers or floral patterns
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like or suggestive of flowers
a flowery scent
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(of language or style) elaborate; ornate
Related Words
See bombastic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flowery
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at flower, -y 1
Explanation
Something flowery either looks, smells, or feels like flowers. You might wear flowery perfume or write a flowery poem starting with "Roses are red..." However, flowery is not a compliment when it comes to writing. If a blanket has a lot of pictures of flowers on it, it's flowery. If a scent reminds you of flowers, it's flowery. Flowery things make you think of flowers in some way. Also, flowery things are full of intricate details, maybe a little too full of them. A flowery speech might have many figures of speech but very little content. A flowery building design has lots of little touches and details. Flowery can mean something close to ornate.
Vocabulary lists containing flowery
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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Too Bright to See
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"The Open Window" and "One in a Million"
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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.
Mr. Mauch’s prose is not flowery, but direct, single-minded and determined, like the man himself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
She was convinced most people were sheep — including those who loved the flowery writing and cheesy romance plots of her novels.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025
A woman had a 9mm pistol in a holster strapped on over her flowery dress.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2025
It felt simple, real and far more me than any flowery prose I could muster.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2025
I jammed my finger into an open pocket in the seam, wiggled it until the tape split, and the flowery paper fell away like a snake shedding its skin.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
