Meanings
nouncocktail dress (plural cocktail dresses)
plural cocktail dresses
- A type of women's evening dress suitable for semiformal occasions or cocktail parties.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Apparently coined by Christian Dior in the late 1940s to refer to early-evening wear.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 小禮服 /小礼服
- 小禮服 /小礼服 (xiǎolǐfú)woman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Finnish cocktail-mekko
- cocktail-mekkowoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
German Cocktailkleid
- Cocktailkleidwoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Hungarian koktélruha
- koktélruhawoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Japanese カクテルドレス
- カクテルドレス (kakuteru doresu)woman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Romanian rochie de cocktail
- rochie de cocktailwoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Russian выходно́е пла́тье
- выходно́е пла́тье (vyxodnóje plátʹje)woman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Spanish vestido de cóctel
- vestido de cóctelwoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Swedish cocktailklänning
- cocktailklänningwoman's evening dress suitable for cocktail parties
Cite this entry
APA
cocktail dress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20dress
MLA
“cocktail dress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20dress. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cocktail dress,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20dress.
Source: cocktail dress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.