foppish

American  

[fop-ish] / ˈfɒp ɪʃ /

adjective

1. resembling or befitting a fop; excessively refined and fastidious in taste and manner.

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Other Word Forms

• foppishly adverb
• foppishness noun

Etymology

Origin of foppish

First recorded in 1595–1605; fop + -ish ¹

Explanation

A man who is constantly checking out his outfit in the mirror might be foppish, or someone who loves dressing up in fancy clothes. For some reason, foppish is almost always used to describe men (not women), and that's why the word might make you think of an elegant suit, vest, and tie, and probably some over-the-top details like a flower in a buttonhole and a polka-dotted handkerchief. The word foppish also implies that this guy probably thinks he looks pretty good.

Example Sentences

Hoult and Cage sell the toxic odd-couple dynamic well, but a sturdier story is required to fully support their performances, especially Cage’s operatic Dracula, who delights in terrorizing his foppish familiar.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

Voisin, who has the mother-of-pearl skin that Balzac writes about, is perfectly cast as the naïve young poet who generates pity when he is foppish and humiliated at the theater.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2022

They’ve also made a celebrity of his foppish head of hair, a cross between a traditional mullet and ’80’s hair band singer.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 23, 2022

Nearby a half-length painting of Saint Sebastian reimagines its subject as an almost foppish youth with auburn hair and a single arrow piercing his smooth torso.

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2021

Men began to wear their handkerchiefs in their sleeves and some foppish lieutenants carried swagger sticks.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck