Flamboyant means showy and confident in an eye-catching way. A flamboyant style, flamboyant dresser, flamboyantly staged.
It admires the confidence while noting the excess, which is why it is not quite a compliment and not quite a criticism. It began as an architectural term for the late French Gothic, named for the flame-shaped tracery in its windows. Note that the French means flaming, which is exactly the image.
1adjectiveflamboyantShowy and confident in an eye-catching way.
“The flamboyant singer walked on stage in a gold suit and a feathered hat.”
synonyms: showy, extravagant
flamboyant is a quality of showiness.
French flamboyant is the participle of flamboyer, to flame, from flambe, a flame. The architectural style is named for its flame-shaped tracery.
French
flamboyant — flaming, wavy
English, today
flamboyant
Built from
Borrowed from French flamboyant (“flaming, wavy”), participle of flamboyer (“to flame”), from flamboier, from flambe (“flame”). The architectural style derives its name from the flame-like shapes in the tracery.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA