dandy

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈdændi/ UK /ˈdændi/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a man overly concerned with elegant dress; excellent

He dressed like a dandy in a velvet coat and silk cravat.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a man overly concerned with... fop beau coxcomb dude swell

Opposites

slob frump

Word family

Derived forms dandyishdandyismdandify

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker

Simplified etymology

Dandy appeared in the late 18th century and may be a shortening of Jack-a-dandy, a 17th-century term for a conceited man. In that expression dandy was probably a pet form of Andrew. The word later broadened from an elegantly dressed man to something excellent or of high quality.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin (late 18th century), possibly a shortening of 'jack-a-dandy' or a pet form of the name Andrew; the adjective sense 'excellent' is later American.

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# dandy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈdændi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdændi/

## Meanings
1. a man overly concerned with elegant dress; excellent

## Examples
- He dressed like a dandy in a velvet coat and silk cravat.

## Synonyms
- fop
- beau
- coxcomb
- dude
- swell

## Antonyms
- slob
- frump

## Derived Forms
- dandyish
- dandyism
- dandify

## Etymology
Of uncertain origin (late 18th century), possibly a shortening of 'jack-a-dandy' or a pet form of the name Andrew; the adjective sense 'excellent' is later American.

## AI Etymology
Dandy is of uncertain origin (late 18th century), possibly a shortening of 'jack-a-dandy' or a pet form of the name Andrew; the adjective sense 'excellent' is later American. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means a man overly concerned with elegant dress; excellent. Derived formations include dandyish, dandyism, dandify.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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