dandy

noun

dan·dy | \ ˈdan-dē

plural dandies

Definition of dandy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance

2 : something excellent in its class a dandy of a game

dandy

adjective

dandier; dandiest

Definition of dandy (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from dandy Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about dandy

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Examples of dandy in a Sentence

Noun

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

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In a way, this is throwback style: During the Renaissance, lace shirts were a staple for male dandies, and pink was a masculine color in the 1920s well before Barbie took it over. — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, "Who Needs Gender? Why Men and Women Are Dressing Identically," 21 Feb. 2019 Young people of color, young Asian men who are wildly open to the avant-garde, new dandies who refuse to be stereotyped as belonging to any class—the entire choir of voices who are infinitely expanding the sense of what gender identity is. — Vogue, "Vogue Runway’s Critics Weigh In on the Fall 2019 Menswear Collections—And the Seismic Shifts Changing the Business," 22 Jan. 2019 The beard is the most common accessory, often a graying one: These dandies range in age from early 20s to 60s and beyond. — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, "Inside the Bizarre Life of a Male Street-Style Star," 14 Jan. 2019 Aristocratic Italians, meanwhile, adopted the idea of sprezzatura, or studied nonchalance that became the attitude favored by the influential taste-making dandies of early 19th century England. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Presents “Camp: Notes on Fashion” For Its Spring 2019 Exhibition," 9 Oct. 2018 The trailer for the novel presents the story in all of its brightly colored glory, with the Fab Four appearing as impish dandies and the frames filled to overflowing with Easter eggs that will delight the band's fans. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Watch Trailer for Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' Graphic Novel," 23 May 2018 Into the Night B-2 pilots make fighter pilots look like dandies. — William Langewiesche, The Atlantic, "An Extraordinarily Expensive Way to Fight ISIS," 21 June 2018 A decade later, fashion bloggers were ascendant, abandoning artful focus and giving sidewalk dandies a flicker of fame. — Brenda Cronin, WSJ, "A Century of Fashion and Photographic Genius," 1 June 2018 On March 8 in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal, a packed house at New Berlin West saw a dandy between Whitnall (led by the aforementioned Herro) and Pewaukee (led by Wright State recruit Grant Basile). — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Radcliffe: The great individual moments of the past year in Milwaukee-area prep sports," 7 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Ali’s next tweet included a handy-dandy chart, replete with measurements. — Liz Krieger, Town & Country, "You Probably Don’t Own Enough Towels, According to an Expert," 22 Feb. 2019 Robert Pattinson stars in their film as Samuel Alabaster, a pioneer and a bit of a dandy who is solely devoted to his great love, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "The 21 best movies of 2018," 14 Dec. 2018 Stone portrays himself as a dandy and a dirtbag, a sleazeball who embodies the rage and drive for fame that sits at the heart of the worst corners of American politics. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "5 great social issues documentaries that help explain America in 2018," 24 Aug. 2018 Image Was Cecil Beaton, the photographer, artist, diarist and theatrical designer who chronicled, and was influenced by, several periods of artistic and social upheaval in the 20th century, the last dandy? — New York Times, "Review: In ‘Love, Cecil,’ an Aesthete Ahead of His Time," 28 June 2018 Adam Garrison as Henry, the tech director in pigtails trying to design tech from a cow’s ear (no budget), delivers a dandy performance as well. — Patti Restivo, Howard County Times, "Laurel Mill Playhouse presents 'Laughing Stock'," 6 July 2018 But there were estrangements, and Jackson, a dandy who wore a pencil-thin mustache and huge diamond pinky ring, faced allegations by his wife of infidelity. — Washington Post, "Joe Jackson, patriarch of musical Jackson family, dies at 89," 27 June 2018 The Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park offers free admission each year on Independence Day — and a visit makes a dandy way to celebrate our nation’s birthday. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Morse Museum is free today — don't miss 'Domes of the Yosemite'," 4 July 2018 Joey Votto picked a good time for his first home run in 30 games, and Sal Romano followed his best start of the year with another dandy. — John Fay, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds ride Sal Romano's arm, Joey Votto's bat to a 9-5 win over the Detroit Tigers," 19 June 2018

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.