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twirly dress

twirly dress

3.0
A dress with a full skirt that spins when you turn
  • noun
translation icon : vestido de vuelo
  • The little girl loved her twirly dress and spun around to make the skirt fly.

Examples

  • The twirly dress was perfect for dancing at the wedding reception.

  • For her birthday party, she picked out a bright pink twirly dress.

  • She wore a twirly dress to the party.

  • Look at that twirly dress spin!

  • When she spins around, her twirly dress creates a beautiful circle around her.

  • The little girl wore a twirly dress that swirled around her as she danced.

  • At the party, everyone admired the shiny twirly dress that fluttered in the breeze.

Synonyms

flouncy dress
vstwirly dress
3.9

A dress with ruffled layers that move when you walk

is designed to flare outward specifically when the wearer turns
poofy dress
vstwirly dress
3.2

A dress with a full, puffed skirt that sticks out

is shaped to flare outward when the wearer twirls rather than just puffing

Antonyms

A smooth, close-fitting outfit that looks elegant and modern

How Twirly

ball gown
8 3.5
twirly dress
3.0
A-line
4 4.4
sheath
5 6.1

Surface Forms

twirly dress singular

Morphology

twirly + dress

The adjective 'twirly' literally means 'tending to spin' and when combined with 'dress' yields a dress that flares or spins when the wearer twirls; this is a direct, compositional adjective+noun combination. The meaning is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Twirly dress comes from the clear picture of a skirt that twirls when the person wearing it spins. Because twirly means 'spinning' and dress names the clothing, the phrase means a dress whose skirt 'spins outward' and 'flares' when you turn.