“She flouted her new car in front of the neighbors.” If that sentence made you flinch, good — your instinct caught one of English’s most common word mix-ups. The writer meant *flaunted*: showing off. *Flouted* means the opposite of what’s intended — openly breaking the rules. One vowel’s difference, and the sentence says the exact reverse of what was meant.
Critics have objected to this confusion since the early 1900s, per Merriam-Webster — one of the dictionary’s longest-running complaints. But the full story is more nuanced: one of the “wrong” uses is now so established that the dictionary documents it. Here’s the honest version.
Flout vs Flaunt: The Short Answer
*Flaunt* means to show off ostentatiously — “she flaunted her promotion.” *Flout* means to openly break or scorn rules — “he flouted the speed limit.” They sound alike but pull sentences in opposite directions. Merriam-Webster notes that “flaunt the rules” is “common in informal use” and even appears in polished writing, though it “undoubtedly arose from confusion with *flout*” and “is considered by many to be incorrect.” So *flaunt the rules* isn’t flatly wrong — it’s informally established. But *flout the rules* is the safe, precise choice everywhere.
What Does “Flaunt” Mean?
*Flaunt* is about display. Merriam-Webster defines it in the neighborhood of “to display ostentatiously”: people flaunt wealth, flaunt new cars, flaunt achievements. The word carries a whiff of deliberate showmanship — flaunting isn’t just having, it’s making sure everyone sees you having.
Its natural habitat is nouns you show off: “flaunted her designer wardrobe,” “flaunting their championship trophy,” “he flaunts his perfect attendance record.” The tone is usually a touch disapproving — *flaunting* suggests vanity — but the word itself is neutral about whether the display is deserved. What matters: the object of *flaunt* is always something shown, never something broken.
What Does “Flout” Mean?
*Flout* is about defiance. Merriam-Webster defines the intransitive verb as “to indulge in scornful behavior,” and its signature phrase is *flout the rules*: to break them openly, with a shrug at whoever wrote them. “The company flouted safety regulations.” “She flouted convention by wearing white to the wedding.” The common thread is contempt for a norm — flouting is rebellion performed in public.
Notice the grammar: *flout* takes the rule, law, or norm as its object. This is precisely why the confusion flips meaning: write “flouted her new car” and you’ve said she treated the car with scorn, which is the opposite of showing it off. The two words are mirror images, and swapping them reverses the sentence.
Why Writers Mix Them Up
The mix-up is almost mechanical: the words share four letters, identical rhythm, and similar shapes, and “flaunt the rules” feels intuitively right because flaunting has an air of rule-breaking swagger. Merriam-Webster’s usage note traces the path honestly: the “treat contemptuously” use of *flaunt* in phrases like “those who flaunt the rules” is common in informal use, undoubtedly arose from confusion with *flout*, and is considered by many to be incorrect — while also appearing in otherwise edited, published writing.
That last detail is what makes the honest framing delicate. Calling “flaunt the rules” flatly wrong ignores the dictionary’s own evidence; the precise statement is that it’s widely judged, informally established, and best avoided where precision matters. Use *flout* for defiance and you’ll never need the asterisk. Like flair or flare, this pair rewards knowing the exact sense rather than the approximate shape of a word. And for a word whose meaning genuinely shifted underfoot rather than through confusion, see enormity.
How to Use Them in a Sentence
- “She flaunted her promotion at the family dinner.”
- “The startup openly flouted industry norms.”
- “He flaunts his collection of vintage watches.”
- “Drivers who flout the speed limit will be fined.”
- “Flaunting wealth during a layoff announcement was tone-deaf.”
Memory trick that actually sticks: fl**out** = **out**side the rules. The “out” inside *flout* points to stepping outside what’s allowed. Picture the barricade in the featured image: the peacock *flaunts* its feathers beside it; the protester *flouts* it by walking through. Display versus defiance, one vowel apart.
Common Mistakes
First, the headline error: writing *flout* when you mean show off. “She flouted her engagement ring” says she scorned it. If the sentence is about display, the word is *flaunt* — always.
Second, writing *flaunt the rules* in formal or exam writing. It’s established informal use, and no reader will misunderstand you, but purists — and examiners — still mark it. “Flout the rules” costs you nothing and pleases everyone.
Third, assuming the confusion is modern or careless. Critics have flagged it since the early 1900s; it survives because both words are genuinely useful and genuinely similar — which is exactly why the dictionary documents “flaunt the rules” instead of dismissing it.
Fourth, overextending the memory trick. “Outside the rules” covers flouting beautifully, but don’t stretch it to every *flout* context: flouting can also target conventions, expectations, or traditions — “flouted the dress code,” “flouted tradition.” The principle is the same: open contempt for a norm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flaunt means to show off ostentatiously (“flaunted her promotion”); flout means to openly break or scorn rules (“flouted the speed limit”). They are near-opposites in effect: one displays, the other defies.
Not flatly — Merriam-Webster documents it as established informal use found in edited writing. But it arose from confusion with *flout* and is judged incorrect by many, so “flout the rules” is the safer choice in formal, exam, or professional writing.
To break rules openly and contemptuously — not secretly, but with a visible shrug at the rule itself. “The company flouted safety regulations” means it ignored them in a way everyone could see.
To display something ostentatiously so people notice: wealth, achievements, possessions, style. The sentence is about being seen, not about breaking anything.
Use the vowel as a hook: flout = outside the rules. If the sentence is about defying a rule, law, or norm, the word with “out” in it is the one. If it’s about showing off, you want *flaunt*.
They share most of their letters, identical rhythm, and overlapping contexts of swagger and boldness — and “flaunt the rules” feels natural because flaunting carries an air of defiance. Critics have flagged the confusion since the early 1900s, yet it persists, which is exactly why the dictionary documents both uses.
