What does sandaled mean?
Sandaled means wearing sandals or having one's feet in open footwear. It is most often used as an adjective in descriptive writing, particularly for warm-weather, informal, or travel-related scenes: a sandaled traveler, sandaled feet, or children playing sandaled on the beach. The spelling “sandaled” is especially common in American English, while British usage generally favors “sandalled,” with two l’s. The word conveys a sense of informality and summer leisure rather than the more general condition of having shoes on. It can also distinguish open footwear from boots or enclosed shoes, although it does not normally imply bare feet. In literary contexts, “sandaled” often evokes a relaxed, picturesque, or nostalgic atmosphere.
Wearing or having sandals on one’s feet.
"The sandaled visitors walked barefoot along the beach."
The one-l spelling is especially common in American English; British English usually writes “sandalled.”
To put sandals on one’s feet.
"She sandaled her feet before crossing the hot sand."
This verbal use is uncommon and sounds more literary or deliberately descriptive than the adjective.
Meet the everyday style word for those who leave their toes in the open air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sandaled come from?
The adjective derives from the noun “sandal,” which comes from Greek sandalon, a kind of shoe or sole. The English word appeared in Middle English, and the adjectival form developed to describe someone wearing that footwear. The American spelling “sandaled” follows the usual American convention of reducing a final vowel to one l, whereas traditional British spelling retains “sandalled.”
Related word forms
How sandaled is actually used
In contemporary English, “sandaled” is particularly associated with American usage. “Sandalled” is the common British spelling, and both forms generally carry a relaxed, informal, or summery connotation.
Easily confused with sandaled
“Sandaled” describes a person wearing sandals, whereas “sandalwood” is the aromatic wood of several trees and is unrelated in origin to footwear.