Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective flashy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flashy are garish, gaudy, meretricious, and tawdry. While all these words mean "vulgarly or cheaply showy," flashy implies an effect of brilliance quickly and easily seen to be shallow or vulgar.

a flashy nightclub act

When can garish be used instead of flashy?

Although the words garish and flashy have much in common, garish describes what is distressingly or offensively bright.

garish neon signs

When is it sensible to use gaudy instead of flashy?

The meanings of gaudy and flashy largely overlap; however, gaudy implies a tasteless use of overly bright, often clashing colors or excessive ornamentation.

circus performers in gaudy costumes

When might meretricious be a better fit than flashy?

The synonyms meretricious and flashy are sometimes interchangeable, but meretricious stresses falsity and may describe a tawdry show that beckons with a false allure or promise.

a meretricious wasteland of casinos and bars

When would tawdry be a good substitute for flashy?

In some situations, the words tawdry and flashy are roughly equivalent. However, tawdry applies to what is at once gaudy and cheap and sleazy.

tawdry saloons

Examples of flashy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Duggan's first-half stats weren't flashy (7 of 16 for 89 yards, one TD, one interception; eight carries, 30 yards, one TD), but his poise and grit and timing were crucial in staking the Frogs a 21-3 lead. Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 2 Jan. 2023 While the utensils, pots, and pans aren't flashy, they're designed to be durable and lightweight; plus, the set is a whopping $90 off right now. Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 29 Dec. 2022 Chef books are flashy and make great coffee table books, but the way restaurants conceive and execute dishes is anathema to home cooking. Melissa Clark, Dallas News, 20 Dec. 2022 Even though the stage was slightly different with Kenny Pickett under center, instead of Mitchell Trubisky, the Bengals still kept the Steelers’ rookie quarterback from being flashy in the second half of Cincinnati’s 37-30 road victory. Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 20 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for flashy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flashy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near flashy

Cite this Entry

“Flashy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flashy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.

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