What does tuxedoed mean?
Tuxedoed means wearing a tuxedo, or dressed in the formal menswear associated with a tuxedo. It commonly describes guests, performers, waiters, and other people attending ceremonies, receptions, galas, weddings, or evening social events. The word presents the garment through the people wearing it, often adding an impression of ceremony, elegance, or formality rather than identifying a specific style of dress in greater detail. Its use is especially established in American English; British usage commonly favors dinner jacket and the corresponding adjective dinner-jacketed. Tuxedoed also functions as a participial adjective, usually describing a person rather than an action: someone is tuxedoed, while an event is described as formal or black-tie. The word is memorable partly because of its unusual name. The garment became associated with Tuxedo Park, a fashionable country club in New York, and the American name tuxedo developed from that association. Although relatively uncommon in everyday conversation, tuxedoed is effective in descriptive writing when an author wants to evoke the visual and social character of a formal occasion.
adjectiveWearing a tuxedo, especially as a way of describing someone dressed for a formal evening occasion.
- Wearing a tuxedo; dressed in a tuxedo.
"The tuxedoed guests greeted their friends in the hotel foyer."
"A tuxedoed waiter led the guests to their table."
"The photograph showed the singer surrounded by tuxedoed musicians."
The word's unusual name comes from Tuxedo Park, a fashionable New York club associated with the classic form of men's evening dress.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tuxedoed come from?
Tuxedoed was formed in English by adding the participial suffix -ed to the noun tuxedo. The noun tuxedo is generally traced to Tuxedo Park in New York, where the fashionable club helped establish the garment's association with formal evening wear. Tuxedoed consequently retains the same basic meaning and pronunciation as tuxedo while describing a person dressed in one.
Related word forms
How tuxedoed is actually used
This is primarily a descriptive adjective and often carries a slightly formal or literary tone. It is most common in American English, while British speakers more often use the adjective dinner-jacketed.
Easily confused with tuxedoed
Tuxedoed describes someone wearing a tuxedo, whereas tuxedo names the garment itself.