Dress vs. Undress — What's the Difference?

A one-piece garment for women or girls covering the body and extending down over the legs.

To remove clothing or covering.

To put on clothes or attire oneself.

Lacking the usual or appropriate covering or clothing.

The act of arranging something in a particular manner.

To reveal or expose something that is usually hidden.

To prepare or treat something, often food.

To strip away layers or coverings.

The attire worn in a specific context or for a particular occasion.

To remove the clothing of; disrobe.

A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers the torso and hangs down over the legs.

To remove the bandages from (a wound, for example).

Put on one's clothes

To take off one's clothing.

Decorate (something) in an artistic or attractive way

Informal attire or uniform.

Treat or prepare (something) in a certain way.

Partial but incomplete dress.

Draw up (troops) in the proper alignment.

(reflexive) To remove one's clothing.

(of a man) have the genitals habitually on one or the other side of the fork of the trousers

(intransitive) To remove one’s clothing.

Make (an artificial fly) for use in fishing

(transitive) To remove the clothing of (someone).

A one-piece garment for a woman or girl that covers the body and extends down over the legs

To strip of something.

Clothing of a specified kind for men or women

To take the dressing, or covering, from.

To put clothes on; clothe.

Partial or informal dress for women, as worn in the home rather than in public.

To furnish with clothing.

Informal clothing for men, as opposed to formal or ceremonial wear.

To decorate or adorn

Now more specifically, a state of having few or no clothes on.

To garnish

To divest of clothes; to strip.

To arrange a display in

To divest of ornaments to disrobe.

To arrange (troops) in ranks; align.

To take the dressing, or covering, from; as, to undress a wound.

To apply medication, bandages, or other therapeutic materials to (a wound).

A loose, negligent dress; ordinary dress, as distinguished from full dress.

To arrange and groom (the hair), as by styling, combing, or washing.

An authorized habitual dress of officers and soldiers, but not full-dress uniform.

To groom (an animal); curry.

Get undressed;

To fertilize (land or plants).

Remove (someone's or one's own) clothes;

(Archaic) To cultivate (land or plants).

To clean (fish or fowl) for cooking or sale.

To put a finish on (stone or wood, for example).

To tan or prepare (a hide) in leather-making.

To put on clothes.

To wear clothes of a certain kind or style

To wear formal clothes

To get into proper alignment with others

Clothing; apparel.

A style of clothing

A one-piece outer garment consisting of a skirt and bodice.

Outer covering or appearance; guise

Suitable for formal occasions

Requiring formal clothes

(transitive)

To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.

To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone).

To arrange or style (someone's hair).

To adorn or ornament (something).

To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.

To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.

To cultivate or tend to (a garden, land, plants, etc.); especially, to add fertilizer or manure to (soil); to fertilize, to manure.

(cooking) To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food, especially a salad).

(military) To arrange (soldiers or troops) into proper formation; especially, to adjust (soldiers or troops) into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other; to align.

To treat (someone) in a particular manner; specifically, in an appropriate or fitting manner; to give (someone) a deserved beating; also, to give (someone) a good scolding; to dress down.

(obsolete) To break in and train (a horse or other animal) for use.

To prepare (oneself); to make ready.

(intransitive)

To put on clothes.

Of a thing: to attain a certain condition after undergoing some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use.

To allow one's penis to fall to one side or the other within one's trousers.

(slang) cross-dress

Of an animal carcass: to have a certain quantity or weight after removal of the internal organs and skin; also, to have a certain appearance after being cut up and prepared for cooking.

Of soldiers or troops: to arrange into proper formation; especially, to form into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other.

(sports) Of a sportsperson: to put on the uniform and have the equipment needed to play a sport.

(countable)

An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist.

Ellipsis of dress rehearsal

(uncountable)

Apparel or clothing, especially when appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc.

(archaic) The act of putting on clothes, especially fashionable ones, or for a particular (especially formal) occasion.

(by extension)

(obsolete) The act of applying a dressing to or otherwise treating a wound; also, the dressing so applied.

To direct; to put right or straight; to regulate; to order.

To arrange in exact continuity of line, as soldiers; commonly to adjust to a straight line and at proper distance; to align; as, to dress the ranks.

To treat methodically with remedies, bandages, or curative appliances, as a sore, an ulcer, a wound, or a wounded or diseased part.

To adjust; to put in good order; to arrange; specifically: (a) To prepare for use; to fit for any use; to render suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready; as, to dress a slain animal; to dress meat; to dress leather or cloth; to dress or trim a lamp; to dress a garden; to dress a horse, by currying and rubbing; to dress grain, by cleansing it; in mining and metallurgy, to dress ores, by sorting and separating them.

To cut to proper dimensions, or give proper shape to, as to a tool by hammering; also, to smooth or finish.

To put in proper condition by appareling, as the body; to put clothes upon; to apparel; to invest with garments or rich decorations; to clothe; to deck.

To break and train for use, as a horse or other animal.

To arrange one's self in due position in a line of soldiers; - the word of command to form alignment in ranks; as, Dress right, dress!

To clothe or apparel one's self; to put on one's garments; to pay particular regard to dress; as, to dress quickly.

That which is used as the covering or ornament of the body; clothes; garments; habit; apparel.

A lady's gown; as, silk or a velvet dress.

Attention to apparel, or skill in adjusting it.

The system of furrows on the face of a millstone.

A one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice

Clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion;

Clothing in general;

Put on clothes;

Provide with clothes or put clothes on;

Put a finish on;

Dress in a certain manner;

Dress or groom with elaborate care;

Arrange in ranks;

Decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods

Provide with decoration;

Put a dressing on;

Cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of;

Cut down rough-hewn (lumber) to standard thickness and width

Convert into leather;

Apply a bandage or medication to;

Give a neat appearance to;

Arrange attractively;

Suitable for formal occasions;

(of an occasion) requiring formal clothes;

Undress means removing clothes or revealing something previously covered.

Dress is usually positive, related to adornment, while Undress can imply vulnerability.

Dress refers to putting on clothes or a one-piece garment typically worn by women.

Primarily, but it can also mean revealing or exposing something.

No, dresses can be casual, formal, or anywhere in between.

Yes, it can imply revealing truths or getting to the essence of something.

Undress, as it means to remove or take off clothes.

Not exactly, but "suit" or "tunic" might be similar garments for men.

Yes, Dress can refer to a garment (noun) or the act of putting on clothes (verb).

It can mean to prepare or adorn food, like dressing a salad.

It's neutral but can imply vulnerability or exposure in certain contexts.

No, it can also mean arranging or preparing something.

Yes, like undressing the mysteries of a story.

Both have broad applications, but Dress might be slightly more versatile due to its culinary and arrangement meanings.