as in flirtatiousness
the attitude or behavior of one who insincerely courts the amorous attentions of others
somehow got the bizarre notion that flirtation was appropriate during a job interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of flirtation
The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight.
—
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
One of the central narratives of season ten, filmed last summer, is the ongoing flirtation between Wilson and Miller, despite Miller’s residual humiliation at the way he’d dismissed her in the press after their breakup.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
For some of you, a casual friendship might turn into a flirtation or even a serious romance.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Starting over was first impossible, then daunting, and then slowly manifested through a combination of therapy and more spiritual remedies (brief flirtations with Scientology and the Nation of Islam didn’t take hold).
—Jackson Howard, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2026
The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Each event was charged with undercurrents of romance and flirtation.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Over-flirtation, ridiculous situations.
—Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Will Trump’s growing flirtations with American boots on the ground risk a quagmire that will swallow American lives and souls similar to the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
One of the central narratives of season ten, filmed last summer, is the ongoing flirtation between Wilson and Miller, despite Miller’s residual humiliation at the way he’d dismissed her in the press after their breakup.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
For some of you, a casual friendship might turn into a flirtation or even a serious romance.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Starting over was first impossible, then daunting, and then slowly manifested through a combination of therapy and more spiritual remedies (brief flirtations with Scientology and the Nation of Islam didn’t take hold).
—Jackson Howard, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2026
The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Each event was charged with undercurrents of romance and flirtation.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Over-flirtation, ridiculous situations.
—Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Will Trump’s growing flirtations with American boots on the ground risk a quagmire that will swallow American lives and souls similar to the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirtation
Noun
-
Evocative animation, with subdued blue hues and soft lighting, conveys the flirtatiousness of their rapid connection in a scene where the two swim together in a pool at night.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The three-inch heels that the women wear when performing the dance are visible at the bottom of the skirt—a demure bit of coquetry.—
Fernanda Pérez Sánchez,
Vogue,
8 Aug. 2022
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In other words, the most dizzying and most consequential storyline of Michigan’s offseason — Harbaugh’s coquetry with the Minnesota Vikings notwithstanding — is going to linger a while longer.—
Michael Cohen,
Detroit Free Press,
27 July 2022
Noun
-
There is her coyness about her future plans, and her own recent memoir.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The Hunting Wives strips away any coyness about sexuality in the first three minutes of episode one.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Shamet was fouled on the play and missed the and-one free throw, but second-year backup big man Ariel Hukporti grabbed the offensive rebound to create a second shot opportunity.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The play, like the movie, is loosely based on a robbery that took place in 1972, on a boiling-hot August day, when an eccentric, deep-in-debt Vietnam veteran named John Wojtowicz entered a Chase bank in Brooklyn with a gun and two accomplices, hoping for a quick score.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flirtation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirtation. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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