Dundrearyism
Dundrearyism noun: a twisted and consequentially nonsensical aphorism.
Noun
Dundrearyism (plural Dundrearyisms)
- A twisted and consequentially nonsensical aphorism.
- Like the argot once confined to a class, some of his phrases have become part of the general idiom. A Dundrearyism can be recognized as soon as uttered, like an Irish bull.1878 October 1, John Oxenford, “Lord Dundreary”, in The Theater: A Monthly Review and Magazine, volume 1, London: Wyman & Sons, pages 198–199
- A typical illustration is the case cited years ago, half in joke, perhaps, half in earnest, by a distinguished professor of obstetrics. It occurred in the days when the elder Sothern was playing Lord Dundreary to crowded houses and when Dundrearyisms were the current witticisms and Dundreary ties...1912, James Joseph Walsh, Psychotherapy, New York: D. Appleton and Company
- Synonyms:
- malaphor
Synonyms of Dundrearyism
Forms of Dundrearyism
| plural | Dundrearyisms |
|---|
Origin of Dundrearyism
Named after Lord Dundreary, a foolish aristocrat in Tom Taylor's play Our American Cousin (1858), who utters remarks of this kind; + -ism.
Questions about Dundrearyism
- What does Dundrearyism mean?
- Dundrearyism means a twisted and consequentially nonsensical aphorism.
- What part of speech is Dundrearyism?
- Dundrearyism is a noun.
- What is the plural of Dundrearyism?
- The plural of Dundrearyism is Dundrearyisms.
Words near Dundrearyism in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Dundrearyism (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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