What does "tippy" mean?
A dandy.
Tippy
/ˈtɪpi/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dandy.
- Grammar: tippy is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: crank, cranky, dandy, fashionable.
- Useful contrasts: balanced, secure, sober.
- Usage evidence: Of all the gay beaux, / That sport their smart cloathes, / There's none that my fancy can please, / With their Spencers or Crops, / Or woolly Foretops, / Like Bob with his Tippy Bootees.
How to use "tippy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tippy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tippy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tippy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tippy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tippy" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crank" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tippy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dandy. colloquial, obsolete, slang
"Is his dreſs, as we may preſume it will be, elegant; exhibiting no articles of apparel but ſuch as are “All the rage?” he is “Quite the tippy.”"
- 2 Something at the height of fashion, excellent, cool. absolute, colloquial, obsolete, slang
"I underſtand, however, that there is a diſtinction between theſe names in the city and St. James's; in the latter place you may find faſhion in the characters of the ton, the taſte, the etiquette, &c. in the city they are all the tippy, the thing, the ſort, &c. and pretty things they are, Heaven knowns! [sic]—with a ſort of a cane, which being twelve inches long, one blow of an Iriſhman's ſhillalagh would drive twelve yards away."
Adjective
- 1 Fashionable, tip-top. colloquial, obsolete, slang
"Of all the gay beaux, / That sport their smart cloathes, / There's none that my fancy can please, / With their Spencers or Crops, / Or woolly Foretops, / Like Bob with his Tippy Bootees."
- 2 Tending to tip or tilt over; unstable. Canada, US
- 3 Clever, neat, smart. colloquial, slang
"She read Renan's Vie de Jésus, and I am now going to lend her the antidote—a tippy little bit of criticism by Pressensé."
- 4 Of tea, having a large amount of tips, or leaf buds.
"Before rolling some planters are in the habit of sifting the leaf through a No. 4 sieve, and manufacturing the small leaf and tips that fall through separately. This will add to the appearance of the tea, by making it more tippy, but unless fancy teas are being made will not pay for the time and trouble incurred."
Adjective
- 1 (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail wordnet
Example
"Of all the gay beaux, / That sport their smart cloathes, / There's none that my fancy can please, / With their Spencers or Crops, / Or woolly Foretops, / Like Bob with his Tippy Bootees."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tippy"?
Common synonyms include: crank, cranky, dandy, fashionable, inebriated, precarious.
How do you use "tippy" in a sentence?
Of all the gay beaux, / That sport their smart cloathes, / There's none that my fancy can please, / With their Spencers or Crops, / Or woolly Foretops, / Like Bob with his Tippy Bootees.
How do you pronounce "tippy"?
Pronounced /ˈtɪpi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
1790, tip (“apex”) + -y (diminutive). Sense of “clever” may be influenced by tip (“inside information”).
Etymology 2
1886, tip (“knock over”) + -y.