dressiness
Definition
Noun: The quality or state of being dressy; the characteristic of being formally elegant, showy, or smart in appearance, especially with regard to clothing or style.
Usage Examples
- (The formal elegance of the event demanded very smart attire.)
- (She appreciated the showy, stylish quality of the items on show.)
- (His clothing did not have a formal or elegant appearance.)
Advanced Usage
- "to lack dressiness": to be informal or plain in appearance.
- The restaurant’s dress code was relaxed, so there was no dressiness required. (No formal or smart clothing was needed.)
- "a touch of dressiness": a small degree of formal or elegant style.
- Adding a silk scarf gave her simple dress a touch of dressiness. (It introduced a slight formal or showy quality.)
Variants and Related Words
- Dressy (adjective): (of clothing or a person) smart, formal, or showy in style.
- She wore a dressy blouse to the interview. (A blouse that is elegant and formal.)
- Dress (noun/verb): clothing or to put on clothing; the root word.
- He changed into his best dress for the ceremony. (Formal attire.)
Synonyms
- Elegance: the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance.
- Formality: the quality of being proper and conventional in dress or behaviour.
- Showiness: the quality of being striking or ostentatious in appearance.
Related Idioms
- "all dressed up": wearing formal or elegant clothing, often for a special occasion.
- She was all dressed up for the wedding, with no place to go. (She was wearing very smart clothes, but the event was cancelled.)
- "dressed to the nines": wearing very fashionable or formal clothing.
- He arrived dressed to the nines, with a tuxedo and patent leather shoes. (He was extremely smartly dressed.)