dandy
noun
\
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
adjectiveDefinition 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
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from dandy
Noun
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for dandy
Synonyms: Noun
beau, Beau Brummell, buck, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy, toff [chiefly British]
Synonyms: Adjective
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, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, excellent, 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-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping [chiefly British], unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful
Antonyms: Adjective
atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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 shoesAdjective
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
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 Image The Room Noël Coward, Oscar Wilde and other bygone British dandies would have loved my cozy and elegant room, a Regency remake with paneled wooden doors, dark wooden furnishings, a luxurious sleigh bed and black silk robes for lounging. — Seth Sherwood, New York Times, "In Bangkok, an Intimate Hotel With an Inky Past," 14 Apr. 2018 Griffin points to 1953's Peter Pan, which portrayed Captain Hook as a prissy dandy who, well, preys on young boys. — Nico Lang, Harper's BAZAAR, "Disney's Long, Complicated History with Queer Characters," 21 Mar. 2017 The Dandy Lion docuseries will chart the history of the black fashion dandy from his roots in 18th century through the late 19th and early 20th century Edwardian era through the 1940s Zoot Suits. — Elizabeth Wellington, Philly.com, "Viola Davis options Philadelphia author's book on black dandyism for television," 8 Mar. 2018 Foles passed for 352 yards on Sunday vs. the Vikings, including a dandy of a flea-flicker that put the game out of reach in the second half. — Detroit Free Press, "Super Bowl LII: Patriots vs. Eagles early preview, plus our predictions," 22 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
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 Instead of using common references like wax cloth or Kente prints, Boateng created garments like a teal single-button suit that appeared in Black Panther — a choice that references the uniquely dandy ankara styles of West African gentlemen. — refinery29.com, "Before Virgil Abloh, There Was Ozwald Boateng," 21 June 2018 The walleye runs on the Sandusky and Maumee rivers are being replaced by a dandy white bass run right now. — cleveland.com, "Fishing Report for May 11: Western Lake Erie walleye fishing drawing crowds," 11 May 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for dandy
dandy
noun
English Language Learners Definition of dandy
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of dandy (Entry 2 of 2)
: very good
See the full definition for dandy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dandy
noun
\
Kids Definition of dandy
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a man who is extremely interested in his clothes and appearance
2 : something excellent or unusual
dandy
adjectiveKids Definition of dandy (Entry 2 of 2)
: very good We had a dandy time.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on dandy
What made you want to look up dandy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Find the Cousins
-
- Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share dandy
Resources for dandy