flair means A natural or innate talent or aptitude. It carries an Arena rating of 1580, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, flair ranks #2,351 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,357 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,382 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
flair is pronounced /flɛə̯/.
Why “flair” is a great word
A distinctive and stylish elegance or a natural talent or aptitude for something. From Middle English flayre, from Old French flair ("scent, odour"), from flairier ("to reek, smell"), from Latin flāgrō, a dissimilated variation of frāgrō ("to emit a sweet smell"), first recorded before 1350–1400. Unlike "flamboyance," which blazes with overt theatricality, or mere "aptitude," which suggests a raw, unshaped capacity, flair is the fragrant evidence of an instinctive gift. It is the perfect turn of phrase that arrives unsummoned, the effortless drape of a scarf that transforms an outfit, or the intuitive pass that splits a defense—the singular, aromatic signature of a mind or hand, leaving behind the warm, faintly sweet trace of presence.
Etymology
From Middle English flayre, from Old French flair (“scent, odour”), from flairier (“to reek, smell”), from Latin flāgrō, dissimilated variation of frāgrō (“emit a sweet smell”, verb). More at fragrant.
noun
- A natural or innate talent or aptitude.“to have a flair for art”
- Distinctive style or elegance.“to dress with flair”
- Smell; odor.
- Olfaction; sense of smell.
verb
- To add flair.“Place your thumb on top of the shank and your bent index finger under the hair and pull the tying thread tight to flair it.”
Words closest in meaning
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