adjective
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neat and spruce in dress and bearing; trim
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small and nimble
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dapper
1400–50; late Middle English daper < Middle Dutch dapper nimble, stalwart; cognate with German tapfer brave
Explanation
A neatly and stylishly dressed man can be described as dapper. If you like to wear a well-made fedora, you appreciate clothes. Place a brightly colored feather in the brim and you’re dapper. Dapper is a Germanic word coming from a Middle Dutch word that meant "strong," "quick," or "nimble." Think of the words dashing, jaunty and spiffy when you think of dapper as these are all near synonyms. All of these words are used specifically to describe men. Although there doesn't seem to be a parallel term for a well-dressed woman, if you call her chic or stylish, she will be pleased.
Vocabulary lists containing dapper
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
"Abuja is slow, slow in every way. People are very laid back," Lexy Mojo-Eyes, the dapper organiser of the fashion week, who cut his teeth in Lagos, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Safra brought in Juan Santa Cruz, a dapper banker turned restaurateur, to oversee the project, which includes a co-working space called Colette.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
Rakell Foye supplied the period costumes—the Devil got a dapper suit and hat, and Robert’s outfit changed from country-boy drab to a slick purple outfit when he became the Delta King.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
For nearly 20 years, therecord shop has offered Echo Park a rocker-themed hodgepodge of rare vinyl, vintage band tees and dapper haircuts from its singular barber shop chair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
The old gentleman was thinner and wrinkled now but as dapper as ever.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
