flowery

American  

[flou-uh-ree] / ˈflaʊ ə ri /

adjective

flowerier, floweriest

1. covered with or having many flowers.

2. decorated with floral designs.

3. rhetorically ornate or precious.

   flowery language.

   Synonyms:

   elaborate, showy, florid

4. resembling a flower in fragrance.

   a Rhine wine with a flowery aroma.

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flowery British  

/ ˈflaʊərɪ /

adjective

1. abounding in flowers

2. decorated with flowers or floral patterns

3. like or suggestive of flowers

   a flowery scent

4. (of language or style) elaborate; ornate

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Related Words

See bombastic.

Other Word Forms

• flowerily adverb
• floweriness noun
• unflowery adjective

Etymology

Origin of flowery

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; flower, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. Mauch’s prose is not flowery, but direct, single-minded and determined, like the man himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Because of this, she dressed in "soft, flowery, not particularly fashion-forward" clothes.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

But it takes a boat ride out there — ideally followed by a night of camping — to appreciate the island’s rugged bluffs, flowery meadows, raw beaches and sea caves.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2025

Although there were many similarities between the chemicals wafting from teens and tots, the differences tended to favor the younger children, whose body odor samples had higher levels of a compound with a flowery fragrance.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024

She had assumed she was never going to see the woman again; now here she was, smelling of pine and honeysuckle, sweet and flowery like the best kind of summer day.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland