dexter
adjective
on the right side; right.
dexter
1 American
[dek-ster]
/ ˈdɛk stər /
adjective
-
on the right side; right.
-
noting the side of a heraldic shield that is to the right of one who bears it (opposed to sinister).
Dexter
2
American
[dek-ster]
/ ˈdɛk stər /
noun
-
Also Dexter-Kerry one of a breed of small, hardy, usually black dual-purpose cattle, derived from the Kerry breed of Ireland.
-
a male given name.
dexter
1
British
/ ˈdɛkstə /
adjective
-
archaic of or located on the right side
-
(usually postpositive) heraldry of, on, or starting from the right side of a shield from the bearer's point of view and therefore on the spectator's left
Dexter
2
British
/ ˈdɛkstə /
noun
dexter
3
British
/ ˈdɛkstə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of dexter
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin: “right-hand,” also “favorable, right, skillful”; akin to Gothic taihswa, Old Irish dess, Greek dexiós, Lithuanian dẽ šinas, Sanskrit dakṣina
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.
See Examples For:
I've never found him quite as devastatingly debonair as Clovis Sangrail, with his mulberry eyes and lowered dexter eyelid.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 23, 2010
And OD is short for oculus dexter, or right eye, not for overdose.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2010
Sarai’s were at the extremity of the dexter arm—which was a way of saying right, as sinister was a way of saying left—down the long, curved corridor from the gallery.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
All of their rooms were on the dexter side of the citadel.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
It was a long, vaulted arcade that overlooked the garden from the dexter arm of the citadel, and was where dinner would soon be laid out for the five of them.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The Dexter, Mich., investment adviser also took in a coastal photography class and a pub crawl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
They arrived through painstaking reporting by ProPublica and The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins and were confirmed in meaningful respects by the people involved.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
Duke and Dexter spent several years living in the dwelling with their mother, who used the property as her primary residence after completing an extensive gut renovation in 2017.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Plenty of other performers get strong support, including “Seven Kingdoms’ ” 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell, who Lorraine Ali says made his show “a captivating watch.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
This month’s group was smaller—only Dexter, Jack, and Mason were there.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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