What does flirtatious mean?
Flirtatious is an adjective describing behavior that is playfully romantic or amorously suggestive, usually without serious intention behind it. A flirtatious person might offer lingering glances, teasing remarks, light touches, or coy smiles designed to signal interest and invite response. The word is common in everyday conversation, fiction, and social commentary, where it typically carries a lighthearted, even charming connotation — a flirtatious exchange at a party is generally understood as harmless fun rather than a declaration of love. Its tone can shade toward the risqué depending on context, and writers often use it to convey character: someone flirtatious is socially confident, playful, perhaps a little mischievous. Related forms include the noun flirtatiousness and the adverb flirtatiously. The word derives from flirt, an English term whose original sixteenth-century sense was simply a sudden jerk or movement before it acquired its romantic meaning.
adjectiveBehaving in a playfully romantic or sexually suggestive way, typically without serious intent; given to flirtation.
- Playfully romantic or amorous in manner, often without serious intent.
- (Less commonly) suggestively alluring in style, dress, or writing.
"She gave him a flirtatious glance across the dinner table."
"He threw a flirtatious wink at the bartender as he ordered his drink."
"The novel's flirtatious opening chapter set the tone for the romance that followed."
'Flirtatious' descends from an odd Elizabethan verb whose early meanings had little to do with romance — 'flirt' once meant a sudden jerk or flick.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flirtatious
Flirtatious comes from flirt, a word first attested in England in the mid-sixteenth century, when it referred not to romance but to a sudden jerk, flick, or playful movement — even a jerking motion of a spaniel's ear. By the seventeenth century flirt had taken on its now-familiar meaning of amorous play, and flirtatious emerged later as its adjective form. The word is essentially English in origin, with no Latin or Greek root; related forms such as flirtation and flirtatiousness are direct English derivatives.
Related word forms
How flirtatious is actually used
Informal to neutral register; common in social and literary contexts. The connotation is usually lighthearted rather than predatory, though tone depends heavily on context. In formal writing it may carry a slightly frivolous flavor.
Easily confused with flirtatious
'Flirt' is the noun referring to a person who flirts (or the verb to flirt), while 'flirtatious' is the adjective describing behavior or manner.