jazzy
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or suggestive of jazz music.
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Informal. active or lively.
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Informal. fancy or flashy.
a jazzy sweater.
adjective
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of, characteristic of, or resembling jazz music
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gaudy or flashy
a jazzy car
Other Word Forms
- jazzily adverb
- jazziness noun
Etymology
Origin of jazzy
Explanation
Anything that sounds like jazz music, or in other ways reminds you of jazz, is jazzy. The spirited, toe-tapping version of "Happy Birthday" you sing to your grandpa might be described as jazzy. There are jazzy covers of staid songs, or jazzy ensembles that bring some elements of jazz to whatever they're playing. You can also use this adjective to describe something that's fancy in a flashy or ostentatious way: "She wore a long, jazzy gown that was covered in glittering sequins." Jazzy, coined around 1919, comes from jazz, which probably stems from the Creole slang jass, "strenuous activity."
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.
And there's a cheeky riposte to their critics on the jazzy potboiler They Don't Know 'Bout Us: "You say we changed? We feel the same."
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
From heavy punk numbers to jazzy R&B ballads and solemn country-infused performances, the academy celebrated those who have shaped music, whether it’s on the artistry end or the business end of things.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
Like the earlier cut, “Chicago Boy,” a jazzy atmosphere predominates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
Songs like Into The Blue and Breathe Again sit neatly next to Norah Jones or Alicia Keys, full of jazzy guitar lines and buttery smooth vocals.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026
Herrmann’s orchestra imitates a swing band’s jazzy rhythms and brassy sound.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
