Meaning & use
dangly
Last updated
UK/ˈdæŋ.ɡli/
US/ˈdæŋ.ɡli/
Meaning
adjectivecomparableinformal
Hanging down loosely and swinging or moving, as earrings or decorations do.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: dangly earrings.
Patterns
- dangly earrings
- dangly bits
She wore dangly earrings that jingled when she laughed.
The lamp had dangly crystals that caught the light.
My cat loves chasing the dangly string on the curtain.
Word forms
| comparative | danglier |
|---|---|
| superlative | dangliest |
Common combinations
- dangly earrings
- She loves big dangly earrings.
- dangly bits
- Tuck in the dangly bits of the cables before moving the desk.
- dangly charm
- The bracelet had a dangly charm shaped like a star.
- dangly decorations
- The tree was covered in dangly decorations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dangling
- Dangling is the standard word for something hanging and swinging, while dangly is more casual and describes a general quality.
- hanging
- Hanging is neutral and may mean fixed in place, whereas dangly suggests loose movement.
- drooping
- Drooping suggests sagging downward because of weakness or weight, while dangly is light and swingy.
- pendant
- Pendant is formal and usually describes a single item that hangs from something, like a necklace piece.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dangly or dingy?
dangly vs dingy
Dingy means dull, dirty and poorly lit; dangly means hanging loosely.
Practice
Which type of earrings would you call dangly?
Choose one answer.
Dangly describes things that hang loosely and swing, like long drop earrings. Studs sit flat and hoops stay close to the ear.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dangly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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