adjective
-
neat and spruce in dress and bearing; trim
-
small and nimble
Other Word Forms
- dapperly adverb
- dapperness noun
- undapper adjective
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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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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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.
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
So all of a sudden it’s like, “Wait, that’s the same guy. Now he’s looking dapper with a mid-Atlantic accent.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
The dapper youth in a hat was photographed outside the museum that Sunday and went viral on social media, prompting theories about his identity.
From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025
It is very dapper for a straight man, but it couldn't be more boring for Tan France.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025
Although Haupt was a dapper dresser, he was a big spender and flat broke.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
