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flaunt - 6 dictionary results
flaunt
[flawnt] 
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | to parade or display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly. |
| 2. | to wave conspicuously in the air. |
–verb (used with object)
| 3. | to parade or display ostentatiously: to flaunt one's wealth. |
| 4. | to ignore or treat with disdain: He was expelled for flaunting military regulations. |
–noun
| 5. | the act of flaunting. |
| 6. | Obsolete. something flaunted. |
Origin:
1560–70; of obscure orig.; cf. Norw dial. flanta to show off
1560–70; of obscure orig.; cf. Norw dial. flanta to show off
Related forms:
flaunter, noun
flaunt⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms:
3. flourish, exhibit, vaunt, show off.
3. flourish, exhibit, vaunt, show off.
Usage note:
4. The use of flaunt to mean “to ignore or treat with disdain” (He flaunts community standards with his behavior) is strongly objected to by many usage guides, which insist that only flout can properly express this meaning. From its earliest appearance in English in the 16th century, flaunt has had the meanings “to display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly” in public and “to parade or display ostentatiously.” These senses approach those of flout, which dates from about the same period: “to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock.” A sentence like Once secure in his new social position, he was able to flaunt his lower-class origins can thus be ambiguous in current English. Considering the similarity in pronunciation of the two words, it is not surprising that flaunt has assumed the meanings of flout and that this use has appeared in the speech and edited writing of even well-educated, literate persons. Nevertheless, many regard the senses of flaunt and flout as entirely unrelated and concerned speakers and writers still continue to keep them separate.
4. The use of flaunt to mean “to ignore or treat with disdain” (He flaunts community standards with his behavior) is strongly objected to by many usage guides, which insist that only flout can properly express this meaning. From its earliest appearance in English in the 16th century, flaunt has had the meanings “to display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly” in public and “to parade or display ostentatiously.” These senses approach those of flout, which dates from about the same period: “to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock.” A sentence like Once secure in his new social position, he was able to flaunt his lower-class origins can thus be ambiguous in current English. Considering the similarity in pronunciation of the two words, it is not surprising that flaunt has assumed the meanings of flout and that this use has appeared in the speech and edited writing of even well-educated, literate persons. Nevertheless, many regard the senses of flaunt and flout as entirely unrelated and concerned speakers and writers still continue to keep them separate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To flaunt
| flaunt (flônt) v. flaunt·ed, flaunt·ing, flaunts v. tr.
[Origin unknown.] flaunt'er n., flaunt'ing·ly adv. Usage Note: Flaunt as a transitive verb means "to exhibit ostentatiously": She flaunted her wealth. To flout is "to show contempt for": She flouted the proprieties. For some time now flaunt has been used in the sense "to show contempt for," even by educated users of English. This usage is still widely seen as erroneous and is best avoided. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Flaunt
Flaunt\ (? or ?; 277), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flaunted; p. pr. & vb. n.. Flaunting.] [Cf. dial. G. flandern to flutter, wave; perh. akin to E. flatter, flutter.] To throw or spread out; to flutter; to move ostentatiously; as, a flaunting show. You flaunt about the streets in your new gilt chariot. --Arbuthnot. One flaunts in rags, one flutters in brocade. --Pope.Flaunt
Flaunt\, v. t. To display ostentatiously; to make an impudent show of.Flaunt
Flaunt\, n. Anything displayed for show. [Obs.] In these my borrowed flaunts. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : flaunt
Spanish:
ostentar, hacer alarde de,
German:
prunken,
Japanese:
見せびらかす
flaunt
1566, "to display oneself in flashy clothes," of unknown origin; perhaps a variant of flout or vaunt. It looks Fr., but it corresponds to no known Fr. word. Transitive sense is from 1827.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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