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• dexter
  dexter

  adjective

  on the right side; right.
• Dexter
  Dexter

  noun

  Also Dexter-Kerry one of a breed of small, hardy, usually black dual-purpose cattle, derived from the Kerry breed of Ireland.

dexter

¹ American  

[dek-ster] / ˈdɛk stər /

adjective

1. on the right side; right.

2. noting the side of a heraldic shield that is to the right of one who bears it (opposed to sinister).

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Dexter ² American  

[dek-ster] / ˈdɛk stər /

noun

1. Also Dexter-Kerry one of a breed of small, hardy, usually black dual-purpose cattle, derived from the Kerry breed of Ireland.

2. a male given name.

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dexter ¹ British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

adjective

1. archaic of or located on the right side

2. (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

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Dexter ² British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

noun

1. John. 1925–90, British actor and theatre director

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dexter ³ British  

/ ˈdɛkstə /

noun

1. a small breed of red or black beef cattle, originally from Ireland

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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

See Examples For:

dexter Dexter

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

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

All of their rooms were on the dexter side of the citadel.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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

Amy Doyle moved to Flintshire from Chester after becoming pregnant with her now six-month-old son, Dexter, but did not realise the difference in the childcare offer between Wales and England.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Dexter went from sheltered son of a doctor to brooding child hipster who left home early to tour with big bands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026

Throughout her career, Keaton—who had two adopted children, daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25—moved multiple times, developing a love of purchasing older homes, renovating them, and then selling them.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025

The thing to keep in mind, says Dexter, the home energy auditor, is that every small update makes a difference.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

They already knew that her mother and father were not part of the elite social set that revolved around Alabama State College and the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Related Words

• benevolent
• encouraging
• favorable