What does "flowery" mean?
Someone or something considered flowery.; A flowery person.
Flowery
/ˈflaʊəɹi/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone or something considered flowery.; A flowery person.
- Grammar: flowery is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ornate, adorned, affected, allusive.
- Useful contrasts: bare, earthbound legends, literal writing style.
- Usage evidence: No flowery path guides to glory.
How to use "flowery"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flowery" 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 "flowery" 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 "flowery" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flowery" 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 "flowery" is acting as adj, noun, slang 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 "ornate" 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 "flowery", 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 Someone or something considered flowery.; A flowery person. informal, rare
"Now the revolutionaries-the Commies, Ban the Bomb floweries, Hippies, Wierdies with Beardies, Aldermaston Marchers, IRA, Anarchists- are in the driving seat."
- 2 Diminutive of flower. diminutive, form-of, informal, rare
"Hearken these blissful birdies how they sing, / And see the freshé floweries, how they spring!”"
- 3 A place where flowers grow. rare
"Poppies make very showy floweries and should be planted lightly in the spots where they are intended to be grown."
- 4 Someone or something considered flowery.; A flowery phrase or statement. informal, rare
"“I am glad to find I have such an eloquent junior,” said he, shaking hands with me. “Just leave me the law and the arguments, and do you take the floweries.” / […] “I am afraid, Magee,” said I, “that neither your law nor my ‘floweries,’ as you call them, will be of much use here. The game is up.” / “Nonsense, man—the game is never up till the verdict is given. Everything depends on the jury. […] And of course we can have a strong alibi or two—eh?”"
- 5 Someone or something considered flowery.; A flowery decoration. informal, rare
"[H]e gave it in charge to the Goldſmiths that were moſt ingenious, and of beſt capacity, to finſh and accompliſh the Buſineſs, engraven and adorned with all poſſible Variety: commanding that thoſe who wrought in the Borders, Raiſings, Floweries, Wrappings, Entortilations, and ſuch like; ſhould amuſe themſelves only for Beautifying and Decoration: […]"
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to or characteristic of flowers.
"“Sir you are mistaken—I am not——.” But before he could say ‘a girl,’ this ancient period-strumpet of a bedizened man (upon a pattern drawn from a time of swords and silk, when men were in their floweriest scent—savagely tattooed with braid—intoxicated with their own snuff—forever on tiptoe—disgusted with the mannish—wooing Woman after the fashion of women) burst in and silenced him, […]"
- 2 Decorated with or abundant in flowers.
"At last she reached a flowery knoll, at whose feet ran a little burn, shaded with woodbine and wild roses; and there she sat down, burying her face in her hands."
- 3 Of a speech or piece of writing: overly complicated or elaborate; with grandiloquent expressions; marked by rhetorical elegance.
"My accusers, then, as I maintain, have said little or nothing that is true, but from me you shall hear the whole truth; not, I can assure you, gentlemen, in flowery language like theirs, decked out with fine words and phrases; […]"
- 4 Melodramatic, overexaggerated.
"Although flowery actions are used in the plays of the 1890s, waving arms, wringing hands, and pleading with outstretched arms would be unsuitable in plays about modern life."
Adjective
- 1 marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details wordnet
- 2 of or relating to or suggestive of flowers wordnet
Example
"No flowery path guides to glory."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flowery"?
Common synonyms include: ornate, adorned, affected, allusive, ambrosial, arabesque.
How do you use "flowery" in a sentence?
No flowery path guides to glory.
How do you pronounce "flowery"?
Pronounced /ˈflaʊəɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English floury, equivalent to flower + -y (adjectival suffix). Piecewise doublet of floury.
Etymology 2
From flower + -y (diminutive suffix).
Etymology 3
From flower + -ery.