ducky
ducky Lexical Profile
ducky Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Fine, delightful, or very satisfactory (informal, dated, and now often used ironically).
"When the car broke down in the pouring rain, he muttered that things were just ducky."
• noun
A child's word for a duck, a duckling, or a toy rubber duck.
"The toddler refused to take a bath without his yellow rubber ducky."
British An informal, affectionate term of address meaning darling or dear.
"Sit yourself down and have a nice cup of tea, ducky."
North American An inflatable one- or two-person kayak used for whitewater river paddling.
"They rented an inflatable ducky to navigate the moderate rapids along the canyon."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective meaning 'fine' or 'delightful', 'ducky' is dated and is now used almost exclusively in ironic or sarcastic contexts (as in 'just ducky').
• Rhymes for ducky
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 18th century from 'duck' plus the diminutive suffix '-y', originally used as an affectionate term of endearment before developing its informal adjectival sense of 'delightful' in the late 19th century.