Meaning & use
flagrant
Last updated
UK/ˈfleɪɡrənt/
US/ˈfleɪɡrənt/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noundisapproving
Openly and shockingly wrong, with no attempt to hide the offense.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a flagrant foul.
Patterns
- a flagrant disregard for something
The company showed flagrant disregard for safety rules.
The referee called a flagrant foul on the player.
It was a flagrant lie that everyone could see through.
Common combinations
- flagrant violation
- Dumping waste in the river was a flagrant violation of the law.
- flagrant disregard
- He drove with flagrant disregard for the speed limit.
- flagrant foul
- The flagrant foul led to an ejection.
- flagrant abuse
- The report exposed flagrant abuse of power.
- flagrant lie
- Her denial was a flagrant lie.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blatant
- Blatant is very close, but it often stresses boldness without shame, while flagrant stresses shockingly bad wrongdoing.
- glaring
- Glaring means very easy to notice, and need not involve wrongdoing.
- outrageous
- Outrageous focuses on the shock you feel, while flagrant focuses on how openly the offense happens.
Opposites
Word family
- flagrantly adverb
- in an openly offensive way
- flagrancy noun
- the quality of being shockingly obvious
- flagrance noun
- another word for flagrancy
Commonly confused: flagrant or fragrant?
flagrant vs fragrant
Fragrant means having a pleasant smell; flagrant means shockingly obvious wrongdoing.
Practice
Which phrase correctly uses flagrant?
Choose one answer.
Flagrant goes with wrongdoing. Smells are fragrant, and the other phrases do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flagrant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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