spiffed up

1 7.4

Dressed in nice clothes or made to look neat and attractive

phrasal verb
/spɪft ʌp/

Informal

: arreglado

After getting spiffed up for the party, she felt more confident walking into the room.
get spiffed up

Examples

You look fantastic in that suit; you are really spiffed up for the event!
He really spiffed up for the awards ceremony last night.
She always likes to get spiffed up before going out for dinner.
The office was spiffed up with new furniture before the big client meeting.
She looked spiffed up for the party.
Are you feeling spiffed up today?
Before the wedding, I made sure to get all spiffed up so I could look my best.

Synonyms

dressed-up

vsspiffed up

82 2.7

Wearing special formal clothes for a party or event

is similar but can also mean generally stylish rather than only event dress

spiffy

vsspiffed up

Informal

16 7.8

Neat and stylish in appearance

is similar but can also mean fancier or more formal dress

snazzy

vsspiffed up

Informal

15 7.2

Bright and stylish in a way that draws attention

can be stylish but is less about bright flash and more about formality

dolled up

vsspiffed up

Informal

7 6.9

Dressed in fancy clothes and makeup for a special event

relies mainly on clothing and neatness rather than cosmetic enhancement

spruced up

vsspiffed up

Informal

3 4.6

Neat and attractive, often dressed or decorated for a special occasion

focuses more on formal or fancy clothing rather than general neatness

dressed to the nines

vsspiffed up

Informal

3 7.6

Wearing very elegant formal clothes for a special occasion

can include this extreme elegance but also milder stylish choices

dressed

vsspiffed up

1 1.0

Wearing special clothes for an occasion, for example a party

adds that the clothing is specifically stylish, fancy, or formally neat

dressed to kill

vsspiffed up

Informal

1 6.8

Wearing very attractive, stylish clothes to get people's attention

focuses more on being stylish or neat without aiming for shock value

suited and booted

vsspiffed up

1 6.3

Dressed in smart, formal clothes for a special event

overlaps but may also apply to slightly less formal stylish dressing

jiggy

vsspiffed up

Slang

1 9.6

Looking stylish and attractive

is more formal and implies polished, neat dressing rather than casual slang style

dressed spiffily

vsspiffed up

Informal

7.8

Wearing stylish, elegant clothes

is like this but may include slightly more casual stylishness

slicked up

vsspiffed up

6.3

Looks tidy and neat after an extra effort to look good

can be equally neat but stresses stylish or formal clothing more

togged up

vsspiffed up

9.1

Wearing smart clothes for a special event

is broader, including both neat stylish and very formal presentation

to dudded up

vsspiffed up

Archaic

8.2

To wear nice clothes for a special event

is similar but may also mean everyday stylish neatness, not only adornment

Antonyms

sloppy

155 2.0

Untidy and done without care

unkempt

13 5.1

Not neat in appearance, often with messy hair or clothes

How Smart

formal

1 3.5

spiffed up

Informal

1 7.4

smart

127 2.4

neat

144 1.0

casual

81 1.3

Surface Forms

spiffed up positive

Morphology

spiff + up

The meaning 'dressed in stylish or neat clothing' follows directly from combining 'spiff' (to make neater/smarter) with the particle 'up' (indicating improvement or enhancement). This verb + up composition is a regular, productive English pattern (compare 'spruced up', 'dressed up'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase spiffed up comes from an old idea of making someone shiny and neat. One popular story says shop workers would quickly polish shoes or smooth clothes to make them look smart, so to be spiffed and up came to mean 'dressed in stylish or attractive clothes'.