Dandy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective /ˈdan-dē/ dan·dy

Meaning & Definition of Dandy

Dandy (noun)

  1. a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance
  2. something excellent in its class

Dandy (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance, foppish
  2. very good, first-rate

Dandy (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of the very best kind

    "that's a dandy new racing bike"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (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, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, 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, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Dandy (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance

    "that dandy was willing to spend all day and hundreds of dollars just to get the perfect pair of shoes"

    similar: beau, Beau Brummell, buck, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy
    related: coxcomb, fancy Dan, popinjay, blade, cavalier, dasher, clotheshorse, exquisite, swell
    near: slob, sloven

  2. something very good of its kind

    "that new PDA is a dandy"

    similar: beaut, beauty, bee's knees, cat's meow, corker, crackerjack, daisy, dilly, doozy, dream, honey, hot stuff, humdinger, hummer, jim-dandy, knockout, lollapalooza, lulu (slang), nifty, peach, pip, pippin, ripper, ripsnorter, snorter, sockdolager, standout, sweetheart, something else
    related: marvel, phenomenon, prodigy, sensation, wonder, catch, crown jewel, diamond, gem, imperial, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure
    near: bust, disappointment, dud, failure, flop, lemon, letdown, loser, stinker, turkey

Related Entry: Jim-dandy (noun)

Jim-dandy is a different word from Dandy. The synonyms below are for jim-dandy, not for dandy.

  1. something very good of its kind

    "the brand new car was a jim-dandy"

    similar: beaut, beauty, bee's knees, cat's meow, corker, crackerjack, daisy, dandy, dilly, doozy, dream, honey, hot stuff, humdinger, hummer, knockout, lollapalooza, lulu (slang), nifty, peach, pip, pippin, ripper, ripsnorter, snorter, sockdolager, standout, sweetheart, something else
    related: marvel, phenomenon, prodigy, sensation, wonder, catch, crown jewel, diamond, gem, imperial, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure
    near: bust, disappointment, dud, failure, flop, lemon, letdown, loser, stinker, turkey

Related Entry: Jim-dandy (adjective)

Jim-dandy is a different word from Dandy. The synonyms below are for jim-dandy, not for dandy.

  1. of the very best kind

    "a jim-dandy guitarist who would be an asset to any garage band"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, 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, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, 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, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dandy

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dandy:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dandy

Words with the opposite meaning of Dandy:

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words for Dandy

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional, coxcomb, fancy Dan, popinjay, blade, cavalier, dasher, clotheshorse, exquisite, marvel

Near Antonyms of Dandy

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate, slob, sloven, bust, disappointment, dud, failure, flop, lemon, letdown, loser, stinker, turkey

Word Forms of Dandy

Inflections: dandies, dandier, dandiest

Derived words: dandyish (adjective), dandyishly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Dandy

probably short for jack-a-dandy, from jack:1 + a (of) + dandy (origin unknown)

First known use: circa 1780

Words & Phrases Containing Dandy

handy-dandy, jim-dandy, fine and dandy

Frequently Asked Questions about Dandy

What does "Dandy" mean?

"Dandy" means a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance. As an a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dandy"?

Other words for "Dandy" include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip and blue-ribbon. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dandy" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dandy"?

There are 174 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dandy". Common alternatives include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo and bonny.

What is a slang word for "Dandy"?

Slang words for "Dandy" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Dandy"?

Antonyms of "Dandy" include atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten and terrible. Near antonyms include bad, inferior, low-grade and substandard.

How do you use "Dandy" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dandy" in a sentence: "that's a dandy new racing bike"; "that dandy was willing to spend all day and hundreds of dollars just to get the perfect pair of shoes"; "that new PDA is a dandy".

Is "Dandy" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dandy" can be used as a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Dandy"?

"Dandy" is pronounced /ˈdan-dē/ and divided into syllables as dan·dy.