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In the 14th century, if someone told you that you had flair (or flayre as it was then commonly spelled), you might very well take offense. This is because in Middle English flayre meant "an odor." The word is derived from the Old French verb flairier ("to give off an odor"), which came, in turn, from Late Latin flagrare, itself an alteration of fragrare. (The English words fragrant and fragrance also derive from fragrare.) The "odor" sense of flair fell out of use, but in the 19th century, English speakers once again borrowed flair from the French—this time (influenced by the Modern French use of the word for the sense of smell) to indicate a discriminating sense or instinctive discernment.
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Examples of flair in a Sentence
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 May 2024
No matter the theme or dress code, Roth brings dramatic flair to the occasion.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for flair 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flair.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Flair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flair. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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flair
noun
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