FLASHY Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

flashy

adjective

ˈfla-shē

Definition of flashy

as in stylish

attractively eye-catching in style I bought a flashy new car as soon as I got my first paycheck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in loud

excessively showy wore flashy rings on almost all the fingers of his left hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flashy Tensions emerge when a father-daughter team at a flashier rival gym that stepped on Toni’s toes too many times before, eye Marcelo and his fists of fury that can kill. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 The spa The on-site spa could never be a flashy, luxury spa plucked from any random resort. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026 That entailed creating a sizzle reel with a lot of flashy effects in hopes of convincing Universal to get behind the new budget and schedule. — Geoffrey Bunting, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2026 Beijing, in other words, is pioneering a kind of statecraft that privileges quiet, subnational capture over big, flashy projects. — Natalia Cote-Muñoz, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flashy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flashy

Adjective

While comfort was top of mind for Culpo, her breezy summer ensemble clearly delivered a stylish blend of loungewear and sleepwear worthy of replicating.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 9 Aug. 2026
The set is made up of a basic tee and roomy shorts that feature contrast threading to give them some stylish edge.

— Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of stylish

Adjective

Yet by selectivity, Ozarks ranks as the tenth most selective baccalaureate college in the country — outpacing schools with far larger endowments and far louder name recognition.

— Scott White, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Messi started the second half and received a loud ovation from fans at Miami's Nu Stadium.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of loud

Adjective

He’s pictured in an all-black ensemble, composed of a T-shirt, athletic shorts, dark shades, and a snazzy gold watch.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 31 July 2026
The Georgian boasts two snazzy restaurants (American steaks or Italian seafood), a precious Art Deco-style bar, and even a cozy little library to get away from it all.

— Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of snazzy

Adjective

Follow the idea that opens the room, not the one that makes everything noisier.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Bose Bluetooth Headphones Deal Bose QuietComfort headphones deliver legendary noise cancellation, allowing students to effortlessly block out noisy study halls or loud dorm rooms.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of noisy

Adjective

Ironically, in Hollywood, the land of eternal youth, end-of-life-doula training has become newly fashionable in the way that studying Kabbalah once was.

— Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Showing off a bump was hardly fashionable until the early ’90s.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of fashionable

Adjective

Beyond gaudy numbers and a long scroll of awards and achievements, Nelson was one of the most colorful and compelling coaches to grace the Bay Area in any professional sport.

— Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
The subsidy headlined a gaudy incentive package offering property and sales tax exemptions, discount electricity and payments for infrastructure in exchange for about 9,000 jobs.

— Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of gaudy

Adjective

The Haim rocker stars alongside Ziwe as a bouncer who is unimpressed with Owen’s outfit to the glitzy event.

— Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026
His four-decade career will be the focus of the Costume Institute’s next spring show, the annual exhibition that opens with the glitzy Met Gala on the first Monday in May.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of glitzy

Browse Nearby Words

flash points

flashy

flask

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flashy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flashy. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of flashy

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on flashy

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vacuous

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes