Meanings
- An exclamation of happiness.
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! What a treat this movie was for kids and adults alike.
1990 March, Susan Sackett, The Hollywood Reporter Book of Box Office Hits, New York: Billboard Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, page 603 more examples
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, / My oh my, what a wonderful day / Plenty of sunshine headin' my way / Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
1946, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”, Ray Gilbert (lyrics), Allie Wrubel (music)If the newspapers and broadcasts are blaring “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-a/My, oh my, what a wonderful day” over and over, there’s a tendency to go down the road humming that tune, too, because you can’t get it out of your head. Are business conditions good? Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!
2000, Jim Hightower, If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates, New York: HarperCollins, →ISBN, →OL"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," Kate said. "This is better." She held her half-empty glass up.
2004 March 17, Donley Watt, Dancing With Lyndon, Fort Worth: TCU Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, page 135
- Characteristic of such a feeling.
Repeat after me: If you're having a zip-a-dee-doo-dah day, I don't want any part of it.
2006 November 1, B. Elwin Sherman, Caught in the Shower Without a Pencil -- Baby Boomer Humor, And Other Maturity Problems, Lulu, →ISBN, →OL, page 362 more examples
It happened on one o' dem zip-a-dee-doo-dah days. Now that's the kind of day when you can't open your mouth without a song jump right out of it.
1946, Song of the South (Film), spoken by Uncle Remus (James Baskett)Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Only one place in the world can give you that Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah feeling day after wonderful day.
1987, “(advertisement)”, in National Geographic, volume 172, page 280
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From a song in the Disney movie Song of the South, from “O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day”, chorus to an old minstrel song “Zip Coon” popularized by George Washington Dixon
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
zip-a-dee-doo-dah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zip-a-dee-doo-dah
“zip-a-dee-doo-dah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zip-a-dee-doo-dah.
Source: zip-a-dee-doo-dah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.