Dander

//ˈdændə(ɹ)// noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Dandruff—scaly white dead skin flakes from the human scalp. uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    A cinder; (in the plural) the refuse of a furnace Scotland
  3. 3
    a feeling of anger and animosity wordnet
  4. 4
    Hair follicles and dead skin shed from mammals. uncountable, usually
  5. 5
    Passion, temper, anger. Usually preceded by "have" or "get" and followed by "up". slang

    "He'll get his dander up if his team is criticized."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    small scales from animal skins or hair or bird feathers that can cause allergic reactions in some people wordnet
  2. 7
    Allergen particles that accumulate on and may be shed from the skin and fur of domestic animals, especially from household pets such as cats and dogs. uncountable, usually
Verb
  1. 1
    To wander about.

    "So as neither of them were particularly pressed for time, as it happened, and the temperature refreshing since it cleared up after the recent visitation of Jupiter Pluvius, they dandered along past by where the empty vehicle was waiting without a fare or a jarvey"

  2. 2
    To maunder, to talk incoherently.

Synonyms

All synonyms
angerangerbad temperbimblehacklesmonkey

Example

More examples

"Don't get your dander up, but I have bad news to tell you."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From a shortening of dandruff.

Etymology 2

Uncertain.

Etymology 3

Alteration of dandle or daddle

Related phrases

get someone's dander upknee jerk

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.