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Synonyms

modish

American  
[moh-dish] / ˈmoʊ dɪʃ /

adjective

  1. in the current fashion; stylish.

    Synonyms:
    trendy, fashionable, chic, smart

modish British  
/ ˈməʊdɪʃ /

adjective

  1. in the current fashion or style; contemporary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of modish

First recorded in 1650–60; mode 2 + -ish 1


Explanation

Something modish is fashionable and stylish. It's a-la-mode, or right on top of the latest look. In the 1970s, it was considered modish to wear bell bottoms. The word modish is a combination of the French mode meaning "fashion" and the suffix -ish meaning "very common." When something is modish, it's all the rage. A swanky restaurant where it's hard to get a table or a boutique selling the newest designer labels are considered modish, or in vogue. Open up the pages of Vogue and you'll be accosted with the latest modish looks.

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Vocabulary lists containing modish

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Gray surrounded himself with what journalist Jack Anderson called “sharp, but inexperienced, modish, young aides.”

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2025

Hybridity, though of a different kind, is far more than a modish buzzword for the British designer Grace Wales Bonner, whose award-winning work has consistently mined the tensions inherent in racial, cultural and sexual intersection.

From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2022

“Portraits of an Era” parades modish men and women.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2019

The fair plaintiff wore a white shirt waist, a dark cloth skirt, a modish straw hat trimmed with black feathers and veil, and brown gloves.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2019

The modish bonnet with curling white feathers seemed to her uncle a crowning affront.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

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