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.
Synonyms
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
Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 6 Feb. 2025
This meant large expanses of glass that foster easy indoor-outdoor living and innovative (and sometimes flamboyant) roof designs.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2025
Based on Scott Thorson’s memoir of his time as Liberace’s boyfriend, Behind the Candelabra is also one of the infamously cerebral filmmaker’s warmest movies, showing how the aspiring veterinarian (Matt Damon) came into the orbit of the famously flamboyant performer (Michael Douglas).
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Since its early days, the history of Greater Miami has been marked by controversy and filled with flamboyant characters; 1977 was no different.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
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Adjective
In the revival, Eddie Redmayne originated the role (to mixed reviews), though the flamboyant host is most associated with Joel Grey, who won a Tony Award for his portrayal in the original Broadway production and an Oscar for the same role in the film.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 6 Feb. 2025
This meant large expanses of glass that foster easy indoor-outdoor living and innovative (and sometimes flamboyant) roof designs.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2025
Based on Scott Thorson’s memoir of his time as Liberace’s boyfriend, Behind the Candelabra is also one of the infamously cerebral filmmaker’s warmest movies, showing how the aspiring veterinarian (Matt Damon) came into the orbit of the famously flamboyant performer (Michael Douglas).
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Since its early days, the history of Greater Miami has been marked by controversy and filled with flamboyant characters; 1977 was no different.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for flamboyant
Dictionary Entries Near flamboyant
Cite this Entry
“Flamboyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamboyant. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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