What does flared mean?
'Flared' describes something that widens gradually outward from a narrower point, most familiarly in clothing: flared trousers, skirts, and sleeves broaden toward the hem or cuff rather than hanging straight. It is also the past tense of the verb 'flare', which can mean either to burn up briefly and brightly — a match flared in the dark — or to widen abruptly, as when a horse's nostrils flare. In everyday language the word appears constantly in fashion writing, where flared jeans are strongly associated with the 1970s and their periodic revivals. Figuratively, 'flared' often conveys sudden emotion or physical tension: tempers flare, nostrils flare. The word suggests movement, drama, and expansion, whether of light, fabric, or feeling. It is a compact way of describing both a static shape and a momentary action, which makes it useful across fashion, physics, medicine, and emotional description alike.
Having sides or edges that widen gradually outward; shaped so as to spread from a narrow point.
"The dress had a fitted bodice and a gently flared skirt."
Chiefly used of garments and architectural or design features.
Past tense of 'flare': to have burned briefly and brightly, widened suddenly, or (of emotion) erupted.
"The candle flared once and went out."
Flared jeans were so iconic of the 1970s that their return decades later instantly signals an era — one garment shape became a time machine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flared
The word derives from 'flare', which appeared in English around the late sixteenth century, first meaning to burn with a sudden unsteady light. Its origin is uncertain but likely tied to words for blazing or spreading light; some sources connect it to Middle English forms related to 'flame'. Over time the sense broadened from fire to any gradual widening, giving us 'flared' both as a past tense and as an adjective describing shapes that spread outward, a use now dominant in fashion vocabulary.
Related word forms
How flared is actually used
Most common in fashion contexts, where 'flared' describes a silhouette widening from knee or hem; also used figuratively for body language ('her nostrils flared'). The verb sense is simply the past tense of 'flare' and carries no special register.
Easily confused with flared
'Flare' is the base verb or noun describing the act of burning up or spreading out, while 'flared' is its past tense or the adjective describing something already shaped with a widening form.