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• dada
  dada

  noun

  the style and techniques of a group of artists, writers, etc., of the early 20th century who exploited accidental and incongruous effects in their work and who programmatically challenged established canons of art, thought, morality, etc.
• Dada
  Dada

  noun

  a nihilistic artistic movement of the early 20th century in W Europe and the US, founded on principles of irrationality, incongruity, and irreverence towards accepted aesthetic criteria

dada

American  

[dah-dah] / ˈdɑ dɑ /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. the style and techniques of a group of artists, writers, etc., of the early 20th century who exploited accidental and incongruous effects in their work and who programmatically challenged established canons of art, thought, morality, etc.

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Dada British  

/ ˈdɑːdɑːˌɪzəm, ˈdɑːdɑː /

noun

1. a nihilistic artistic movement of the early 20th century in W Europe and the US, founded on principles of irrationality, incongruity, and irreverence towards accepted aesthetic criteria

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Other Word Forms

• Dadaist
  noun
• dadaism
  noun
• dadaist
  noun
• Dadaistic
  adjective
• dadaistic
  adjective
• Dadaistically
  adverb
• dadaistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of dada

1915–20; < French: hobby horse, childish reduplication of da giddyap

Explanation

Dada is another way to say "daddy" or "papa," a nickname for your father. The word dada is also the name of an early 20th-century art movement that protested conventional ideas using humor and absurdity. Across most cultures, dada is an extremely common first word (or sound) spoken by babies. In English, this is usually translated as "dad" or "daddy," and it sometimes continues to be a young child's name for their father. The avant-garde art movement took the word as its name, often capitalized as Dada, from its silly, innocent sound and multiple meanings (including "rocking horse" in French and "yes, yes" in Romanian). Ironically, this art movement was intentionally anti-art, with Dadaist artists claiming that "Dada means nothing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dada Dada

Mr Currie's show, Shtoom, is described on the theatre website as a "unique, surrealist, dada punk-clown, non-verbal experience".

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2024

But, whether it's "papa," "dada" or "vater," what is striking is the cross-cultural bias in the words used to describe him – and how the same names have stuck around over millennia.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2022

With no resonating chamber in the throat, they can manage little beyond mama, dada, ga-ga.

From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2021

Some remind me of the Fauvist paintings, while others feel cubist and still others are straight-up dada.

From The Guardian ● May 8, 2020

“Look, we should ask your dada first—” he began.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

So it makes sense that now, as a wellness writer, I became intrigued by Body Dada, a barre fitness studio with locations in Highland Park and Silver Lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

On a recent weekday morning, Body Dada’s signature class — aptly named “Body Dada the Class” — was mostly full, with about 10 participants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

It pounced upon the coincidence that James Joyce, the Dada poet and essayist Tristan Tzara and Vladimir Lenin were all living in Zurich in 1917.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025

"Travesties" two years later, imagined a meeting between Lenin, James Joyce and poet and founder of the Dada movement Tristan Tzara, who all lived in Zurich in 1917.

From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025

Within a month of Fadi’s and his family’s return, Uncle Amin had taken his family and his parents, Abay and Dada, across the border into Iran.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai