dapper

adjective

dap·​per ˈda-pər 

1

a

: neat and trim in appearance

looked very dapper in their uniforms

b

: very spruce and stylish

a dapper new suit

2

: alert and lively in movement and manners

a dapper old gentleman

dapperly adverb

dapperness noun

Synonyms of dapper

• elegant
• smart
• stylish
• fashionable
• natty

Examples of dapper in a Sentence

The students all looked very dapper in their uniforms.

the dapper gentleman drew admiring glances from all over the ballroom

Recent Examples on the Web

Mahomes wore a floor-length, baby blue wrap dress with a diamond collar necklace, while Patrick Mahomes kept things dapper in a navy blue suit and black sunglasses. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Born between 1965 and 1980, actors belonging to Generation X continue to win audiences over with their dapper good looks. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026

Meanwhile, Blanco kept it classic in a black tuxedo and sunglasses, per a dapper photo of him on Gomez's Instagram Stories. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026

His songs were populated with a romantic rogue figure known as the malandro, typically represented as a dapper man in a white suit and a Panama hat. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dapyr, from Middle Dutch dapper quick, strong; akin to Old High German tapfar heavy, Old Church Slavic debelŭ thick

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dapper

• capper
• clapper
• flapper
• kapur
• mapper
• napper
• rapper
• sapper
• snapper
• tapper
• trapper
• wrapper

Kids Definition

dapper

adjective

dap·​per ˈdap-ər 

1

: being neat and trim in dress or appearance : spruce

2

: being alert and lively in movement and manners