flam·boy·ant
flam-ˈbȯi-ənt 
1
: marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior
a flamboyant performer
2
often capitalized
: characterized by waving curves suggesting flames
flamboyant tracery
flamboyant architecture
flamboyantly
adverb
Did you know?
Flamboyant, which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to Old French flambe, meaning "flame." In its earliest uses flamboyant referred to a style of architecture, often in the florid French Gothic style, which featured waving curves that suggested flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. And of course, Old French flambe is also the origin of the English adjective flambé.
Examples of flamboyant in a Sentence
Adjective
Crazy artists, or flamboyant ones, can be strangely comforting. We feel we understand where their visions come from; we're lulled by the symmetry of turbulent art and turbulent lives.
—
Stephen Schiff, New Yorker, 28 Dec. 1992–4 Jan. 1993
Equally flamboyant is the group's singer, Andy Bell, who prances around the stage dressed at various times like an astronaut, a space creature or a Mexican senorita.
—Jim Farber, Video Review, August 1990
… he was living in the flamboyant, urbane manner he craved, in an apartment that suited his Balzacian fantasies of success …
—Raymond Sokolov, Wayward Reporter, 1980
the flamboyant gestures of the conductor
has a gallery of flamboyant gestures that makes him easy to imitate
Stephen Schiff, New Yorker, 28 Dec. 1992–4 Jan. 1993
Equally flamboyant is the group's singer, Andy Bell, who prances around the stage dressed at various times like an astronaut, a space creature or a Mexican senorita.
—Jim Farber, Video Review, August 1990
… he was living in the flamboyant, urbane manner he craved, in an apartment that suited his Balzacian fantasies of success …
—Raymond Sokolov, Wayward Reporter, 1980
the flamboyant gestures of the conductor
has a gallery of flamboyant gestures that makes him easy to imitate
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew John, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025
For Cornett, the damage is already done—her reputation tarnished, her safety threatened, and her life disrupted by an internet rumor amplified by a flamboyant personality on a massive platform.
—Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Known for palettes that are as flamboyant as his characters, the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar uses color as an actor with its own dramatic energy.
—Stephen Treffinger, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The boisterous, flamboyant front man could often be mistaken for the ringleader of a one-man circus.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
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Adjective
The up-and-coming pop superstar, with his signature dark mustache and flamboyant stage presence, is frequently compared to Freddie Mercury online.
—Andrew John, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025
For Cornett, the damage is already done—her reputation tarnished, her safety threatened, and her life disrupted by an internet rumor amplified by a flamboyant personality on a massive platform.
—Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Known for palettes that are as flamboyant as his characters, the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar uses color as an actor with its own dramatic energy.
—Stephen Treffinger, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The boisterous, flamboyant front man could often be mistaken for the ringleader of a one-man circus.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flamboyant
Cite this Entry
“Flamboyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamboyant. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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