Added 10 October 2026
humdinger
/hʌmˈdɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/ noun
First recorded: 1883 Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about humdinger at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Someone of remarkable excellence.
a humdinger of a secretary
Origin
US origin, perhaps a blend of hummer (“something that moves fast”) + dinger (“something outstanding”). First attested in a newspaper article in the Daily Enterprise of June 4, 1883, at Livingston, Montana.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)