flirtatious
Americanadjective
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given to flirtation
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expressive of playful sexual invitation
a flirtatious glance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flirtatious
First recorded in 1825–35; flirtat(ion) + -ious
Explanation
When you're flirtatious, you have a playful kind of banter, especially with someone in whom you're romantically interested. Your heart will flutter if your crush gives you a flirtatious smile. You might expect two lovesick teenagers to be flirtatious with each other, while it's deeply embarrassing to watch your grandmother treat her favorite waiter in a flirtatious way. Don't take it too seriously, though — there's a lightheartedness to all flirtatious behavior. In fact, the unserious 16th-century meaning of flirt was "to flit inconstantly from object to object."
Vocabulary lists containing flirtatious
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beneath the character’s flirtatious wiles, her powerful soprano brought steel to Blanche’s determination to live in her fantasy—a lost world of wealth and graciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
The court was told how Oladele approached his victim while she was with friends outside a take-away restaurant in Wrexham city centre, and at first appeared "friendly and flirtatious".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Sean Duffy first appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston,” where he was introduced as a flirtatious, conservative lumberjack/student hybrid.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Documents recently released by the Justice Department included flirtatious email exchanges from 2003 between the agency’s namesake leader and Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Epstein.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
They have no children, just a flirtatious white cat named Snow.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
