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to dandify

to dandify

9.6
To dress someone or make them act in a showy, fashionable way
  • verb
  • /ˈdændɪfaɪ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : elegantizar
  • To impress his friends, Jake decided to dandify his usual casual attire with a tailored suit and a trendy tie.

Examples

  • He's no more than a dandified vulture.

  • Van has a strong element of dandified class-consciousness mingling with his pride at being "very much a man of the world."

    Academic text (2011)
  • Dandified.

  • Its dandified manners serve to mask real human nature, but they are at the same time vehicles through which the worst traits of human nature can manifest themselves.

    Academic text (2014)
  • He prefers the dandified look, right down to pointed patent leather shoes that are uncomfortable at times.

    Blog text (20)
  • Too dandified to ride in the rain on his horse like regular folk, so he had to hire Murphy's hearse. Emma saw that if she was going to have any hope at all of keeping her china intact, she had better act, posthaste.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • He looks great—a man of action, not dandified at all by the snappy attire.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "The soccer scores are coming in from the capital... one must pretend an interest," drawled the dandified Commandante, safe in the pages of my book; and as another rock star said to me, "YOU sit on your ass writing—

    Blog text (14)
  • He prefers to dandify his outfits with bright colors and stylish accessories to stand out at social events.

  • Before the gala, she took time to dandify herself with an elegant dress and sparkling jewelry.

Synonyms

to dress up
vsto dandify
12 2.9

Make something look better than it really is

involves real dressing or adorning to look unusually fashionable rather than mere superficial enhancement
to primp
vsto dandify
  • Informal
8 7.2

To get ready by fixing your clothes, hair, or makeup carefully

focus on dressing or adorning for unusually fashionable showy effect rather than grooming alone
to gussy up
vsto dandify
  • Informal
5 8.6

To dress or decorate in a fancy way to look nicer

aim to create an unusually fashionable and showy appearance rather than just general attractiveness
to tart
vsto dandify
  • UK
4 6.9

To make something look showy to attract attention

is about creating unusually fashionable showiness rather than merely flashy attention seeking
to trick out
vsto dandify
  • Informal
1 7.4

To make something like a car or outfit look very fancy by adding bright decorations

focus on adding elaborate pieces to attract attention rather than subtle fashionable styling
to peacock
vsto dandify
  • Informal
1 8.1

To dress or act in a very showy way to attract attention

aim to create a fashionable stylish appearance rather than mainly displaying for attention
to tart up
vsto dandify
  • UK
1 8.9

To make something or someone look bright and showy to attract attention

aims for fashionable showiness rather than tasteless flashy display
to dress to kill
vsto dandify
  • Informal
1 6.2

To wear very attractive clothes to impress people

focus on adopting an unusually fashionable showy style rather than solely striking attractiveness
to glamourize
vsto dandify
  • UK
1 6.3

Make something seem more attractive than it really is

involves actual dressing or adorning to look unusually fashionable rather than only seeming glamorous
to prank
vsto dandify
  • Archaic
1 8.1

To dress something in showy clothes or decorations

focuses on fashionably dressing for style rather than just applying showy decoration
to prink
vsto dandify
  • Archaic
9.9

To dress carefully to look fancy

aim to create an overall fashionable and showy look rather than careful fussiness
to gussie
vsto dandify
  • Informal
9.9

To make a person or thing look fancy, often in a showy way

aim to create an unusually fashionable and showy appearance rather than plain attractiveness
to trick up
vsto dandify
  • Informal
7.2

To make someone or something look fancier to impress people

aim to produce a consistently fashionable show rather than just impressing briefly
to deck up
vsto dandify
  • Informal
8.2

To put on special clothes to look nice for an event

aim to create an unusually fashionable and showy look rather than only general appeal
to tog up
vsto dandify
  • UK
9.4

To put on special clothes to look attractive for an event

focus on producing a particularly fashionable show rather than merely impressive clothing
to fig up
vsto dandify
  • UK
9.9

To put on fancy clothes to look good

aim to make an unusually fashionable and showy appearance rather than just fancier clothes
to fig out
vsto dandify
  • Archaic
9.9

To dress in special clothes to look attractive

aim to create a distinct fashionable show rather than merely appearing appealing
to rig out
vsto dandify
  • Informal
6.9

Dress yourself or others in fancy clothes to look impressive

aim to craft an unusually fashionable showy image rather than only impressive dress
to dight
vsto dandify
  • Archaic
9.9

Dress someone or something in special clothes and decorations

is used mainly in archaic or poetic language rather than modern fashionable speech
to fancify
vsto dandify
  • Informal
7.7

Make something look more attractive by adding decorations

is specific to dressing and creating a fashionable show rather than general decoration
to fancy up
vsto dandify
  • Informal
6.5

Make something look more stylish and attractive

aim to achieve unusually fashionable showiness rather than simply dressing up more than usual
to dizen
vsto dandify
  • Archaic
9.9

To dress or decorate in a very bright way to get attention

focus is on fashionable and tasteful show rather than gaudy tasteless ornament
to bedizen oneself
vsto dandify
9.9

Dress yourself in bright, showy clothes or jewelry to attract attention

seeks an unusually fashionable stylish look rather than garish showiness or tastelessness

Antonyms

2 8.1

To make someone's hair or clothes look untidy

How Fashionable

to overdress
8 4.6
to dandify
  • Archaic
9.6
to spruce up
  • Informal
13 3.8
to dress
1.0
to groom
40 2.3
to tidy
42 1.0

Surface Forms

dandify infinitive
dandified past
dandified past participle
dandifying present participle
dandifies third person singular

Morphology

dandify = dandy (transparent) = dandy + ify

Formed by the productive verb-forming suffix '-ify' applied to 'dandy', meaning 'to make or render like a dandy'.

Etymology

The word dandify comes from dandy, a word for a man who loves fine clothes and showy style, plus the ending -ify, as in beautify, meaning 'make' or 'become'. So, to dandify someone is to 'make' them look like a dandy, dressing them in very fashionable or showy clothes.