What does "flamboyant" mean?
The royal poinciana (Delonix regia), a showy tropical tree from Madagascar.
Flamboyant
/flamˈbɔɪ.ənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The royal poinciana (Delonix regia), a showy tropical tree from Madagascar.
- Grammar: flamboyant is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: showy, affected, arabesque, arty design.
- Useful contrasts: discreet, minimal, modest.
- Usage evidence: She wears flamboyant clothes to draw attention.
How to use "flamboyant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flamboyant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flamboyant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flamboyant" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flamboyant" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flamboyant" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "showy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flamboyant", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The royal poinciana (Delonix regia), a showy tropical tree from Madagascar.
"The schooners moored to the quay are trim and neat, the little town along the bay is white and urbane, and the flamboyants, scarlet against the blue sky, flaunt their colour like a cry of passion."
- 2 showy tropical tree or shrub native to Madagascar; widely planted in tropical regions for its immense racemes of scarlet and orange flowers; sometimes placed in genus Poinciana wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Showy, bold or audacious in behaviour, appearance, style, etc.; ostentatious.
"When we see some of the monstrous and flamboyant blossoms that enrich the equatorial woods, we do not feel that they are conflagrations of nature; silent explosions of her frightful energy. We simply find it hard to believe that they are not wax flowers grown under a glass case."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of flamboyant. alt-of
- 3 Referring to the final stage of French Gothic architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries.
"S. Pierre is a flamboyant church, the details passing into Renaissance."
- 4 Of a blade: forged in a wavy, undulating pattern, like a flame-bladed sword or a kris.
"Ancient swords were frequently “flamboyant,” or with waved edges; more especially those used for purposes of state. The Dukes of Burgundy bore a two-handed sword of this form. Indeed, “flaming swords,” as they were called, were worn down to the times of our Charles II., and perhaps later."
Adjective
- 1 elaborately or excessively ornamented wordnet
- 2 marked by ostentation but often tasteless wordnet
Example
"She wears flamboyant clothes to draw attention."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flamboyant"?
Common synonyms include: showy, affected, arabesque, arty design, aureate, barbaric.
How do you use "flamboyant" in a sentence?
She wears flamboyant clothes to draw attention.
How do you pronounce "flamboyant"?
Pronounced /flamˈbɔɪ.ənt/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French flamboyant (“flaming, wavy”), participle of flamboyer (“to flame”), from Old French flamboier, from flambe (“flame”). The architectural style derives its name from the flame-like shapes in the tracery.