Flamboyant is an adjective describing someone or something that stands out due to its showy, ostentatious, or exuberant style or behavior. It conveys a sense of vivid display and theatrical flair, often with bright colors or elaborate mannerisms. The term emphasizes conspicuousness and self-assured expressiveness rather than subtlety.
"Her flamboyant coat made her the center of attention at the gala."
"The theater's flamboyant set design overwhelmed the audience with color and movement."
"He adopted a flamboyant signature pose for every public appearance."
"Despite criticism, the artist's flamboyant style gained a loyal following."
Flamboyant originates from the French flamboyant, meaning flame-like or blazing, which itself derives from the noun flambe, ‘a flame’ or ‘to flame.’ In French, flamboyant originally described a flame-like form in Gothic architectural ornament and later extended to liveliness and showiness in behavior. The term entered English in the early modern period, initially tied to fashion and stagecraft before broadening to describe striking, ornate, or extravagant appearances or actions. By the 19th century, flamboyant had acquired a strong connotation of dramatic self-presentation, often associated with bold fashion, architecture, and personalities that seek attention. First known use in English appears in the 1600s in literary and architectural contexts, later solidifying in everyday language during the Romantic and Victorian eras when vivid stylistic expression became culturally celebrated. The word has retained its core flame-like symbolism while expanding to describe any person or thing marked by lively, conspicuous, and theatrical style.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Flamboyant" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Flamboyant"
-ant sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Say it as FLAM-boy-uhnt with stress on the first syllable. IPA US: /ˈflæmˌbɔɪənt/; UK: /ˈflæmˌbɔɪ.ənt/; AU: /ˈflæmˌbɔɪ.ənt/. Start with a crisp 'flam' (/flæm/), then a rhyming 'boy' (/bɔɪ/), followed by an unstressed 'ant' vowel (/ənt/). The 'b' joins smoothly to the second vowel; avoid a heavy 'oo' sound. Listen for the breath after the first syllable. Audio resources: Pronounce or Cambridge learner dicts often provide native speaker audio you can mimic.
Common errors include: 1) pronouncing the second syllable as a separate 'boy-ant' with a hard 't' at the end, instead of the lighter /ənt/. 2) turning the /ɔɪ/ diphthong into a pure /ɔː/ or /aɪ/ sound, producing a mismatched vowel. 3) stressing the second syllable by saying /ˈflæmˈbɔɪənt/ rather than the natural primary stress on the first syllable. Corrections: keep the primary stress on FLOM-zeitig first syllable, use /bɔɪ/ for the 'boy' sound, and tail the ending with a short, soft /ənt/ or /ənt/ without overemphasizing the 't'.
In US/UK/AU, the core /ˈflæm/ remains consistent. The key variation is the ending: US tends to maintain a smooth /-ɔɪənt/ with a light final schwa; UK often features a slightly more clipped /-ɔɪ.ənt/ with less vowel length, while Australian can show a broader, more open vowel in /ɔɪ/ and a very soft /ənt/. Overall, rhoticity doesn’t impact this word; the main differences center on the second syllable vowel quality and the degree of vowel reduction in the final unstressed syllables. Refer to IPA forms for precise guidance in dicts.
The difficulty lies in the /ɔɪ/ diphthong and the final /ənt/ cluster after a stressed syllable. speakers often substitute /ɔɪ/ with /aɪ/ or /ɔː/ and overemphasize the final /t/ or /nt/, producing 'flam-boy-tent' or 'flam-boy-unt'. Focus on the glide from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ in /ɔɪ/ and keep the final /ənt/ light and quick. Practice with minimal pairs contrasting /ɔɪ/ vs /aɪ/ and ensure the first syllable bears primary stress.
A handy tip is to link the second syllable with a slight rounding of the lips for the /ɔɪ/ glide, then quickly relax into the neutral schwa before the nasal /nt/. The timing is key: hold the /ɔɪ/ just a beat longer than a typical /ɔɪ/ in daily speech to avoid running the sound together with the final /ənt/. Visualize a small, quick vowel step from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ while keeping the tongue high-mid for the /ɪ/ portion.
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