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Synonyms

Danish

American  
[dey-nish] / ˈdeɪ nɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the Danes, their country, or their language.

noun

  1. a North Germanic language, the language of Denmark, closely related to Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic. Dan, Dan.

  2. (sometimes lowercase) Danish pastry.

Danish British  
/ ˈdeɪnɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Denmark, its people, or their language

"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

noun

  1. the official language of Denmark, belonging to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European family

"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 Danish

First recorded before 900; Middle English, alteration of Denshe, Danshe, Dench (by influence of Dan “(a) Dane”), Old English Denisc , from Germanic daniskaz; see origin at Dane, -ish 1

Explanation

A danish is a sweet breakfast roll filled with custard, jam, or marzipan. If you're invited to brunch at a friend's house, she'll be happy to see you arrive with a box of danishes. If you order coffee and a danish at a diner, you'll get a flaky, buttery pastry topped with cheese or fruit — not a person from Denmark. The word is short for "danish pastry," which is actually called wienerbrød, or "Viennese bread" in Denmark. The popular history of the danish involves a strike by Danish bakery workers which led bakeries to hire Austrian bakers, who brought their own recipes for pastries rich with butter and egg.

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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.

The Lego-themed content coming out of Iran has nothing to do with the Danish company that makes Lego.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk gained 2% after the Danish drugmaker raised its full-year profit guidance, citing a surge in sales for its Wegovy weight-loss pill.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

A particularly important group comes from the Syrian city of Hama, first explored by a Danish expedition in the 1930s.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

As tensions mounted over President Trump's threats to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, the European Parliament in January suspended the approval of the deal.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

We share Danish cookies from the tin he keeps hidden in the toolshed.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.