doozy
Americannoun
verb phrase
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doozy
First recorded in 1925–30, of uncertain origin; sometimes associated with the Duesenburg, a luxury auto, though the variant dozy precedes the appearance of the car in 1920
Explanation
When something is really extraordinary, it's a doozy. You took so many photos of your adorable new puppy — you're sure to end up with some doozies! You can use this colloquial noun in a positive or negative way, whether you're admiring a doozy of a sunset or having another doozy of an argument with your twin sister. If it's a doozy, it's really unusual or even unprecedented, and well worth remarking on. Though doozy came first, around 1903, the luxury Duesenberg automobile was nicknamed "Duesy" in homage to the word.
Vocabulary lists containing doozy
Fast Pitch
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"The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller, List 1
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Clementine
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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.
See Examples For:
Investors are bracing for what could be a doozy of a trading session.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026
"A capstone is intended to challenge students to integrate skills, function as an effective team and demonstrate their ability to solve real problems. And this problem was a doozy."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
It’s been a doozy of a year for major flight woes and it’s only early March.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
This year could be a doozy at the world’s most powerful central bank.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
“But dontcha go gettin’ comfortable, because the second tryout will be a doozy!
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
To be fair, 2025 produced plenty of IPO doozies that investors would be wise to avoid until they demonstrate real technical fortitude.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
And I realize that you, having written “Hoax,” probably came across some real doozies for that.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2023
And this year, buyers are agreeing to some doozies.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2021
No matter the attack against him — and there were some doozies — he dispensed with them quickly.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 25, 2020
But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some doozies along the way.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 30, 2020
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.
