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flamboyant

flamboyant, blazing

adjective flahn-bwah-YAHN Rare

Origin: from Old French flamboyer, to blaze

Also means

ornate, extravagant

Usage Note

Flamboyant describes both vivid visual brilliance (a style flamboyant in Gothic architecture refers to flame-like tracery) and a showy, over-the-top personal style. The architectural sense is historically precise; the personal sense is informal and slightly ironic. The feminine form is flamboyante.

Examples

"Elle portait une robe flamboyante."

Natural Translation

She wore a flamboyant dress.

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