Dictionary.com
definitions

razzle-dazzle

[raz-uh l-daz-uh l]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR razzle-dazzle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

showiness, brilliance, or virtuosity in technique or effect, often without concomitant substance or worth; flashy theatricality: The razzle-dazzle of the essay's metaphors cannot disguise its shallowness of thought.
Chiefly Football. deceptive action typically consisting of a series of complex maneuvers, as a double reverse or hand-off, usually executed in a flashy manner: a team relying more on power and speed than razzle-dazzle.
confusion, commotion, or riotous gaiety.

adjective

impressively opulent or decorative, especially in a new way; showy; flashy; eye-catching: a shopping center lined with razzle-dazzle boutiques.
energetic, dynamic, or innovative: razzle-dazzle technology; a razzle-dazzle sales pitch.

RELATED CONTENT

This Quiz Is More Than Razzle-Dazzle
There’s no enjambment here: Take a break; it’s quiz time. Tell us your favorite word from this week below (and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter)! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser.   Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. See this week’s here.  
READ MORE
✨ - Sparkles Emoji - Emoji by Dictionary.com
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

sensational, breathtaking, wondrous, thrilling, splendid, remarkable, striking, astounding, fantastic, magnificent, dazzling, amazing, astonishing, marvelous, stunning, dramatic, miraculous, fabulous, grand, eye-catching

Origin of razzle-dazzle

First recorded in 1890–95; rhyming compound based on dazzle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for razzle-dazzle

Contemporary Examples of razzle-dazzle

Historical Examples of razzle-dazzle

  • With a yellow ticket, again—but without any razzle-dazzle this time.

    Police Your Planet

    Lester del Rey

  • Perhaps if I'd told her the truth instead of all that razzle-dazzle we might—but, confound it!

  • That sneak I gave the razzle-dazzle to yesterday is in this.

    The Boy Scouts On The Range

    Lieut. Howard Payson

  • In the middle of this razzle-dazzle come another crash and a flood of light.

    Plain Mary Smith

    Henry Wallace Phillips

  • We thought how many people in their so-called Christian life are riding the razzle-dazzle.

British Dictionary definitions for razzle-dazzle

razzle-dazzle

razzmatazz (ˈræzməˈtæz)

noun

slang noisy or showy fuss or activity

Word Origin for razzle-dazzle

C19: rhyming compound based on dazzle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for razzle-dazzle
n.

1886, American English slang, varied reduplication of dazzle (q.v.).

My confrère, The Chevalier, last month gave a new name to the scarfs of disjointed pattern when he called them the razzle-dazzle. The name was evidently a hit of the most patent character, for in several avenue and Broadway stores the clerks have thrown out a display of broken figures before me and explained that the ruling style at present was the razzle-dazzle, and the word seems to have been equally effective with the public, for when it is quoted by the live salesman, the customer, I am told is at once interested and caught by it. ["Clothier and Furnisher" magazine, Jan. 1889]

Meaning "state of confusion" is from 1889.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper