Flamboyance
collective noun /flæmˈbɔɪəns/ — What you call a group of flamingos — the English language at its most accurate.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of flamingos — one of the most celebrated collective nouns in English for the sheer accuracy of its spirit.
Beyond the definition
Whoever named this was paying attention. Flamingos are pink, they stand on one leg, they move in synchronized waves of colour — a flamboyance is exactly what they are. This is one of those rare collective nouns that feels less invented than discovered.
Origin & history
From French flamboyant — flaming, blazing (flambe 'flame'). Originally an architectural term for ornate Gothic style. Applied to flamingos because of their vivid colour and theatrical bearing.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A flamboyance of flamingos turned the salt flat pink at dusk.
The wildlife photographer had waited three hours for the flamboyance to arrive.
Nothing prepares you for your first flamboyance — that much living colour moving as one.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Flamboyance” when the meaning fits your context: The collective noun for a group of flamingos — one of the most celebrated collective nouns in English for the sheer accuracy of its spirit.
Synonyms
group, flock, colony, stand
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
The guide stopped the truck at the edge of the salt flat and said nothing for a moment. The passengers were looking at their cameras.
"Look up," she said.
The salt flat was entirely pink — three thousand flamingos at midday, arranged in slow-moving formations, occasionally breaking into the synchronised movement that makes them look like a single creature thinking. The cameras came out. Nobody used them for the first minute.
The word flamboyance had been invented, apparently, by someone who had stood exactly here. Nobody present was in a position to argue with the choice.
Questions about this word
What does "Flamboyance" mean?
Flamboyance is collective noun meaning: What you call a group of flamingos — the English language at its most accurate.. The collective noun for a group of flamingos — one of the most celebrated collective nouns in English for the sheer accuracy of its spirit.
Where does the word "Flamboyance" come from?
From French flamboyant — flaming, blazing (flambe 'flame'). Originally an architectural term for ornate Gothic style. Applied to flamingos because of their vivid colour and theatrical bearing.