What does flouted mean?
Flouted is the past tense of the verb flout, which means to openly and defiantly ignore a law, rule, or accepted convention. To say regulations were flouted implies more than simple non-compliance: it suggests deliberate, conspicuous disregard, often accompanied by contempt for the authority behind the rule. The word appears most often in legal, political, and journalistic contexts — courts find defendants who flouted injunctions, commentators accuse governments of having flouted treaties, and reporters describe companies that flouted safety codes. It should be carefully distinguished from flaunted, which means displayed ostentatiously; despite their visual similarity, the two verbs are unrelated in meaning, and confusing them is one of the most common errors in English usage. The etymology of flout is uncertain, though it is generally thought to derive from an early modern Dutch or Low German word meaning to mock or treat with scorn, which fits its enduring sense of contemptuous defiance.
verbFlouted is the past tense of flout, meaning to openly and deliberately disregard a rule, law, convention, or authority.
- To openly and contemptuously disregard a law, rule, or standard of behaviour.
"The company repeatedly flouted safety regulations, ignoring every warning from inspectors."
"He flouted the curfew, strolling through the empty streets long after midnight."
"The regime flouted international agreements with apparent impunity."
'Flouted' and 'flaunted' are swapped so often that style guides have campaigned for decades to keep them apart — one means showing off, the other means breaking the rules.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flouted
The origins of flout are somewhat obscure, but it is generally traced to the mid-16th century, likely borrowed from a Dutch or Low German source meaning to mock or scoff. From its earliest English use it carried a sense of scornful treatment of persons before extending to the contemptuous disregard of rules and authorities. Its ultimate roots remain debated among etymologists, so claims about deeper ancestry should be treated with caution.
Related word forms
How flouted is actually used
Formal to neutral register, most common in legal, political, and journalistic writing. It carries a strong connotation of open defiance rather than mere oversight — someone who has flouted a rule did so knowingly and without attempting to hide it. The word is almost always followed by an object naming what was disregarded.
Easily confused with flouted
'Flaunted' means to show something off ostentatiously, while 'flouted' means to openly disregard rules or conventions — they are frequently mixed up despite having unrelated meanings.