dandruff

IPA/ˈdændrʌf/
KK[dˈændrəf]IPA/ˈdændrəf/

dandruff — noun

1. tiny white flakes of old skin cells that come off the scalp and gather among str

1.nounB1
Definition

tiny white flakes of old skin cells that come off the scalp and gather among strands of hair or land on clothing

Example

Hana brushed dark flakes of dandruff off the shoulders of her navy-blue coat.

collocation: brush dandruff off [surface]

Oluwaseun started using a special shampoo to clear up his bad dandruff.

collocation: clear up dandruff

Common collocations
  • have dandruff
  • get dandruff
  • dandruff shampoo
  • dandruff flakes
  • control dandruff
  • reduce dandruff
  • get rid of dandruff
  • severe dandruff
  • white dandruff flakes
Synonyms
  • scurf

    formal or medical term for dandruff; much less common in everyday speech

  • scalp flakes

    descriptive phrase often used on product labels or in casual explanation

Grammar Patterns

dandruff is uncountable; never used as 'a dandruff' or 'dandruffs'

Usage Note

Frequently appears in noun-compound form before another noun, e.g. dandruff shampoo, dandruff flakes, dandruff problem. Subject is usually a person (have / get dandruff) or the dandruff itself (dandruff falls / shows / collects).

Common Mistakes

I have a dandruff.
I have dandruff.
Dandruff is an uncountable noun; never use 'a' before it.
There are many dandruffs on my shirt.
There is a lot of dandruff on my shirt.
Dandruff has no plural form; use 'a lot of', 'some', or 'a bit of' instead.

Word family

  • dandruffy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dandruff, scurf, scalp flakes, and dry scalp all relate to skin shedding from the head, but they differ in register and precision. Dandruff is the everyday word most people use for the visible white flakes. Scurf is the formal or medical synonym — common on clinical reports or old-fashioned product labels but rare in speech. Scalp flakes is a descriptive phrase that emphasises the physical appearance, often heard in advertisements. Dry scalp refers to a related but distinct condition where the scalp feels tight and itchy, often confused with dandruff. For example, someone might say 'I need a stronger shampoo for my dandruff' while a doctor might write 'mild scurf noted' in a chart.

dandruff ↗scurfscalp flakesdry scalp

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a case of dandruff
  • a sign of dandruff
  • a tendency to get dandruff

Etymology

unknown originpossibly Scots / Northern EnglishEnglish

The origin of dandruff is uncertain. It first appeared in English in the mid-1500s, possibly combining an older word dander (a northern English or Scottish term for scurf or dandruff) with the suffix -uff, which may come from Old English hūfe (a head covering or scalp). The word has always referred to dead skin flakes on the scalp.