dada

[ dah-dah ]

noun

, (sometimes initial capital letter)

1. the style and techniques of a group of artists, writers, etc., of the early 20th century who exploited accidental and incongruous effects in their work and who programmatically challenged established canons of art, thought, morality, etc.

Dada

/ ˈdɑːdɑːˌɪzəm; ˈdɑːdɑː /

noun

1. a nihilistic artistic movement of the early 20th century in W Europe and the US, founded on principles of irrationality, incongruity, and irreverence towards accepted aesthetic criteria

Derived Forms

• ˌDadaˈistic, adjective
• ˌDadaˈistically, adverb
• ˈDadaist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• dada·ism noun
• dada·ist noun
• dada·istic adjective
• dada·isti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dada¹

1915–20; < French: hobby horse, childish reduplication of da giddyap

Word History and Origins

Origin of dada¹

C20: from French, from a children's word for hobbyhorse, the name being arbitrarily chosen

Example Sentences

And by those lights, the Dada of a dance recital in lieu of a town hall makes perfect sense.

From Slate

“Mama, Dada, Leebi and Orly, I love you, I miss you,” Hersh Goldberg-Polin said, looking directly into the camera and addressing his parents and two sisters.

From Los Angeles Times

Downs: You know, we did tell him, ‘Dada got a nomination’ and he said, ‘Can you do this?’

From Los Angeles Times

He calls his artistic philosophy Black Dada, a term that melds his interest in the avant-garde with his ongoing theories of Blackness.

From New York Times

In “An Abstraction,” his current solo exhibition of 25 new drawings and paintings at Pace Gallery in Chelsea, the “Black Dada” pieces on view there are a departure from previous iterations, incorporating vivid blues and reds, a crisp green and a yolky yellow.

From New York Times