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In the 14th century, if someone told you that you had flair (or flayre as it was then commonly spelled), you might very well take offense. This is because in Middle English flayre meant "an odor." The word is derived from the Old French verb flairier ("to give off an odor"), which came, in turn, from Late Latin flagrare, itself an alteration of fragrare. (The English words fragrant and fragrance also derive from fragrare.) The "odor" sense of flair fell out of use, but in the 19th century, English speakers once again borrowed flair from the French—this time (influenced by the Modern French use of the word for the sense of smell) to indicate a discriminating sense or instinctive discernment.
Examples of flair in a Sentence
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2025
Kinnear plays The Warden, the boss at Camp Yucca, with a flair for manipulation and getting the upper hand on his campers.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025
Your next half-marathon could be getting some robotic flair.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2025
With a balance of flair and composure, Rayan Ait-Nouri‘s work on the left side of the pitch helped stave off relegation for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flair
Cite this Entry
“Flair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flair. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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flair
noun
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