adjective
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gaudy, flashy, or ostentatious
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making a brilliant or imposing display
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of showy
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:
A dance sequence is filmed in a showy single shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It’s cozy and low-effort enough to make on repeat for just you and yours, but substantial — and just showy enough — to answer a last-minute “Come over for dinner!” text, too.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
This litany of defeat includes showy federal efforts to scuttle mergers and acquisitions involving Whole Foods and Wild Oats, AT&T and Time Warner, and Microsoft and Activision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
This year the clamor is louder, more aggressive, and tinged with showy economic threats.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
As a black woman, too, I knew I’d be criticized if I was perceived as being showy and high end, and I’d be criticized also if I was too casual.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Brecken Branstrator, the editor-in-chief of GemGuide, a gem-price data platform, said the “quiet luxury” trend may be giving way to showier offerings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Yes: Alcaraz is the faster, showier player, capable of mad sprints to pull out improbable winners, but Sinner’s developed real range.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2025
Maybe it’s happiest tucked into a cast-iron skillet, going golden and jammy while the showier types preen in their baskets.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025
However, Stone has the showier role as Poor Things' charming protagonist Bella Baxter, while Gladstone's dignified and resilient Molly Kyle in Flower Moon is a more understated part that enjoys considerably less screen time.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2024
Ladies dressed with subdued magnificence glide in, along with some who have not been able to leave at home the showier articles of their wardrobe.
From Famous Americans of Recent Times by James Parton
The biggest music stars and the showiest productions are enjoying broad popularity right now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Liquids are a compelling reason to explore the new restaurant, which features some winning cocktails, the showiest of which, To Mule or Not to Mule, arrives in a horn-shaped glass.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2022
He stepped into passing lanes on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter for breakaway highlight dunks, the showiest moments of another efficient 14-for-21 shooting night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2022
Still to see: Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper have supporting roles in “Licorice Pizza,” and Cooper’s may be the showiest, based on the trailer.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
Everyone, meanwhile, appears to be blending into a classless crowd, shedding the showiest kinds of high-status clothes in favor of a jeans-and-sweatsuit informality.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
