dandy

noun dan·dy \ ˈdan-dē \

Definition of dandy

plural dandies

1 :a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance

2 :something excellent in its class

a dandy of a game

—

dandyish

play \-dē-ish\ adjective

—

dandyishly

adverb

See dandy defined for English-language learners

See dandy defined for kids

Examples of dandy in a Sentence

That was a dandy of a game.
that dandy was willing to spend all day and hundreds of dollars just to get the perfect pair of shoes

Recent Examples of dandy from the Web

But with young black dandies, there’s also a hip-hop element.

— errin haines whack, The Seattle Times, "Q&A with author of ‘Dandy Lion,’ which stylishly rejects black male stereotypes," 4 June 2017
This British painter’s canvases of black dancers and dandies are not strictly portraits, but fictions invented by the artist that have the ring of truth.

— New York Times, "Art and Museums in NYC This Week," 18 May 2017
Rich and his staff are gearing up for two dandies at the end of this month, once again thrusting his Rich Harvest Farms golf course and the greater Aurora area onto the sport's national stage.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Armstrong: Rich Harvest Farms takes national stage for NCAA tournaments," 29 Apr. 2017
In other words, no jet-setting dandy's wardrobe would be complete without it!

— craig montague, Town & Country, "British Invasion," 22 July 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dandy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dandy

probably short for jack-a-dandy, from ¹jack + a (of) + dandy (origin unknown)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1780

See Words from the same year

dandy Synonyms

Synonyms

beau, Beau Brummell, buck, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy, toff [chiefly British]

Related Words

coxcomb, fancy Dan, popinjay; blade, cavalier, dasher; clotheshorse, exquisite, swell

Near Antonyms

slob, sloven

dandy

adjective

Definition of dandy

dandier; dandiest

1 :of, relating to, or suggestive of a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance :foppish

2 :very good :first-rate

a dandy place to stay

I have a couple of friends … who think a recession is a dandy time to try to discover better and cheaper ways to do things.
—Thomas Friedman

See dandy defined for English-language learners

Examples of dandy in a Sentence

We thought something was wrong, but he said everything was just fine and dandy.
that's a dandy new racing bike

Recent Examples of dandy from the Web

Not everything was fine and dandy, wine and candy at the Leadership Blue Gala.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Good, bad and ugly at Democrats' annual South Florida fundraiser," 19 June 2017
An error that led to an unearned run in the fifth inning and three wild pitches were about the only blemishes on an otherwise dandy afternoon for Arrieta.

— paul skrbina, chicagotribune.com, "Ben Zobrist sparks new-look Cubs lineup past Brewers in 13-6 win," 21 May 2017
Sidney Crosby had a goal and a dandy assist to set up Kessel for a goal.

— kevin allen, USA TODAY, "This Penguins playoff run is more of a collective effort," 21 May 2017
Scott, for instance, is a dandy tap dancer, but muffles most of Puck’s witticisms.

— misha berson, The Seattle Times, "Review: Seattle Shakes’ ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is missing some of its magic," 12 May 2017
That gives Hunnam a dandy role as a man whose physical challenges on trips through the jungle are exceeded by the inner demons that drive him back to those giant ferns again and again.

— chris hewitt, Twin Cities, "Adventures in ‘Lost City of Z’ are just not very adventure-y," 18 Apr. 2017
Sure, a five-star rating system is all fine and dandy, but Netflix wanted to make their system more two-dimensional for the Redditors out there.

— sammy nickalls, Esquire, "Netflix Has a New 'Thumbs Up' and 'Thumbs Down' Rating System," 6 Apr. 2017
In a riff on the magazine’s first cover, from 1925, by Rea Irvin, Blitt imagines a future in which our dandy mascot has become Eustace Vladimirovich Tilley and the lepidopteran under scrutiny is none other than a stunned Donald Trump.

— françoise mouly, The New Yorker, "Cover Story: Tomer Hanuka’s “Spring Awakening”," 13 Mar. 2017
My radiant floor electric mat came with a dandy wall thermostat that contains a tiny computer.

— tim carter, Orange County Register, "Electric floor heating creates luxurious comfort," 14 Feb. 2017

Origin and Etymology of dandy

see ¹dandy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1792

See Words from the same year

dandy Synonyms

Synonyms

A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, excellent, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, quality, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-flight, top-notch, top-of-the-line, topping [chiefly British], top-shelf, unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful

Antonyms

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK (or okay), passable, satisfactory, tolerable; better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine; classical, standard, traditional

Near Antonyms

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory; mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

DANDY Defined for English Language Learners

dandy

noun

Definition of dandy for English Language Learners

: a man who cares too much about his clothing and personal appearance
: something that is very good or impressive : a very good example of something

dandy

adjective

Definition of dandy for English Language Learners

: very good

DANDY Defined for Kids

dandy

noun dan·dy \ ˈdan-dē \

Definition of dandy for Students

plural dandies

1 :a man who is extremely interested in his clothes and appearance

2 :something excellent or unusual

dandy

adjective

Definition of dandy for Students

dandier; dandiest

:very good

We had a dandy time.

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dandy

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