doozy

noun

doo·​zy ˈdü-zē How to pronounce doozy (audio)
variants or doozie or less commonly doozer
plural doozies also doozers
: an extraordinary one of its kind
a real doozy of a snowstorm

Did you know?

While it's often maintained that the word doozy derives from the "Duesenberg" in the name of the famed Duesenberg Motor Company, this is impossible on chronological grounds. Doozy was first recorded (in the form dozy) in eastern Ohio in 1916, four years before the Duesenberg Motor Company began to manufacture passenger cars; the related adjective doozy, meaning "stylish" or "splendid," is attested considerably earlier, in 1903. So where did doozy come from? Etymologists believe that it's an altered form of the word daisy, which was used especially in the late 1800s as a slang term for someone or something considered the best.

Examples of doozy in a Sentence

They say the snowstorm tonight is going to be a doozy. Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy. Some of her comments have been real doozies. a doozy of a year
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For all of the baseball memorabilia he’s given away, there’s one notable doozy in Sax’s home office. Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 26 Apr. 2024 Well, that’s a doozy of a question for various reasons. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The second season of Extraordinary ends on a doozy that suggests a potentially whole new direction for season three. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024 Before breathing a sigh of relief, be aware that the solar eclipse in Libra on 2nd October is a doozy. Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for doozy 

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of daisy

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of doozy was in 1916

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Dictionary Entries Near doozy

Cite this Entry

“Doozy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doozy. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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