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
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 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
Times writer described Brown, always dapper and cool, as a piece of living art.
From Los Angeles Times
There was a celebrated Royal opening in 2004 where I remember one hard-nosed journalist marvelling at what had been achieved by this "dapper wee man in a kilt".
From BBC
It’s a fantasy forest sprung to life, complete with a centerpiece tree and felt and ceramic sculptures of dapperly dressed felines and canines.
From Los Angeles Times
They were medium-handsome, in their 70s, and dressed dapperly in khaki slacks and navy sport coats bearing name tags that identified them as Bill and Frank.
From Salon
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.
