dexter

Adjective

dexter (not comparable)

1. (archaic outside heraldry) Right; on the right-hand side. (In heraldry, specifically the bearer's right, which is the viewer's left.)
   • my Mothers bloud / Runs on the dexter checke, and this ſiniſter / Bounds in my fathers:c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
   • Displaying his dexter palm, he exclaimed that there was a hand that never took a bribe; whereupon a smart auditor cried "How about the one behind your back?"1887, George William Foote with J. M. Wheeler, Crimes of Christianity, London: Progressive Publishing

   Antonyms:

   sinister

Noun (1)

dexter (plural dexters)

1. (archaic outside heraldry) The right side (of a building, an equation, a heraldic shield [from the wearer's perspective], etc).
   • Subtracting the second from the first, the third from the second and the first from the third successively, we obtain, after transposition, the following identities: — [several equations]
     But, the sinisters being exact differentials, the dexters are so. Consequently [...]1879, London Mathematical Society, Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, page 112
   • On the dexter of the court is a long hall with an arched ceiling and a door, leading to a small oblong shrine with a vaulted ceiling.1971, Debala Mitra, Buddhist Monuments

Proper noun capitalized: Dexter

US/ˈdɛkstɚ/

Dexter

1. A surname originating as an occupation for a female dyer.
   • State and local leaders, including US Sen. Jeff Merkley, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, US Rep. Maxine Dexter and City Council members, urged the community to stay peaceful at a news conference on Friday night, according to CNN affiliate KPTV, after the city saw an increase in activity by federal...2025 September 27, Kit Maher, “Trump says he’s sending troops to Portland to protect ICE facilities”, in CNN
2. A town and census-designated place therein, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States.
3. A town in Chaves County, New Mexico, United States.
4. A village in the town of Brownville, Jefferson County, New York, United States, named after Simon Newton Dexter.
5. A census-designated place in Lane County, Oregon, United States.
6. A male given name transferred from the surname.
   • I was in Atlanta with our three children — our second son, Dexter, named for our beloved church in Montgomery, had been born in January, and was still an infant.1969, Coretta Scott King, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, pages 204–205

Noun (2) capitalized: Dexter

US/ˈdɛkstɚ/

Dexter (plural Dexters)

1. One of a breed of small hardy cattle originating from the Kerry breed of Ireland, valuable for beef and milk. They are usually chiefly black, sometimes red, and somewhat resemble a small shorthorn in build.
2. A serial killer who only commits crimes against worthy targets.
   • Pedro Rodrigues Filho may as well be called the ‘’Dexter of Brazil’’ because he was a vigilante, only targeting criminals and avenging those who hurt him and people he loved.2020 April 14, bosniangirl, reddit.com, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2026
   • one officer killing 26 dogs is fucking wild. thats like, every couple months you just pop one in the head. That cop is the Dexter of dog parks. acab2024 September 6, Fuzzy_Proposal4417, “I don’t know if this is really funny or really sad”, in reddit.com, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2026