dada

[ dah-dah ]

/ ˈdɑ dɑ /

noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

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.

Nearby words

dad-blamed, dad-blasted, dad-burned, dad-gummed, dad-in-law, dada, dadah, dadd, daddah, daddy, daddy track

Origin of dada

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

Related forms

da·da·ism, nounda·da·ist, nounda·da·is·tic, adjectiveda·da·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dada

The other day we got in the car and I had a CD on, and he said, “Dada, is that James Brown?”
Kentucky’s Finest Antihero: Walton Goggins on Justified’s Chameleon Villain|Allen Barra|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At Performa, Shana Lutker revisits a wild Dada play that featured a nose and some lips.
A Performance Like a Punch in the Face|Blake Gopnik|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Was one of Dada's fathers really such a mystery or did he show his true self in his art?
Man Ray Revealed|Philip Gefter|November 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
When the postmaster had finished his supper, the girl suddenly asked him: ‘Dada, will you take me to your home?’
Mashi and Other Stories|Rabindranath Tagore

It was a battle between Dada and Gaga, and emphatically Dada must win.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, February 11, 1920|Various
Next Dada sent him to watch the cows as they grazed in the open meadow in the lowland, or among the dried grasses on the hillside.
Our Little Persian Cousin|E. Cutler Shedd
An old woman died, as old women will, and every one was asking “Who sent the evil spirit that destroyed poor old Dada?”
In the Wrong Paradise|Andrew Lang
Dada repeats to you things which you understand perfectly and these sound to you the very essence of wisdom.
The Cycle of Spring|Rabindranath Tagore

British Dictionary definitions for dada

Dada

Dadaism (ˈdɑːdɑːˌɪzəm)

/ (ˈdɑːdɑː) /

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

Derived Forms

Dadaist, noun, adjectiveDadaistic, adjectiveDadaistically, adverb

Word Origin for Dada

C20: from French, from a children's word for hobbyhorse, the name being arbitrarily chosen

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