dandy

[ dan-dee ]

noun

, plural dan·dies.

1. a man who is excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance; a fop.
2. Informal. something or someone of exceptional or first-rate quality:

   Your reply was a dandy.

adjective

, dan·di·er, dan·di·est.

1. characteristic of a dandy; foppish.
2. Informal. fine; excellent; first-rate:

   a dandy vacation spot.

dandy

¹

/ ˈdændɪ /

noun

1. See dengue
   another name for dengue

dandy

²

/ ˈdændɪ /

noun

1. a man greatly concerned with smartness of dress; beau
2. a yawl or ketch

adjective

1. informal.
   very good or fine

Derived Forms

• ˈdandyism, noun
• ˈdandyish, adjective
• ˈdandily, adverb

Other Words From

• dandi·ly dandy·ish·ly dan·di·a·cal·ly [dan-, dahy, -, uh, k-lee], adverb
• dandy·ish dan·dia·cal adjective
• dandy·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dandy¹

First recorded in 1770–80; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of dandy¹

C18: perhaps short for jack-a-dandy

Idioms and Phrases

see fine and dandy .

Example Sentences

And this big box that encloses him is only an exaggeration of his regular nerd-dandy clothes.

From The Daily Beast

As well as being less flirtatious, Capaldi is far less of a dandy.

From The Daily Beast

Yankee Doodle Dandy, from 1942, tells the story of the man who practically wrote the soundtrack to American patriotism.

From The Daily Beast

Gary Hume dressed as a Mexican dandy and sold tequila slammers.

From The Daily Beast

Baudelaire, very much the well-dressed young dandy, was watching from his carriage across the street.

From The Daily Beast

The poor dandy showed a pair of straight coat-tails instanter, and the whole table joined in a "tremenjous" roar.

From Project Gutenberg

The tobacco-box, during the reign of Elizabeth, was no unimportant part of a dandy's outfit; sometimes a pouch or bag was used.

From Project Gutenberg

The creature kept up a deafening squealing, while out of the bush rushed Dandy, the farmers dog.

From Project Gutenberg

Dandy seemed much surprised to discover that he had locked his teeth on the wrong individual!

From Project Gutenberg

Boat after boat came up and made fast astern of the dandy vessel, and soon the decks were crowded with merry groups.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• first-rate
• marvelous
• nifty
• splendid
• terrific