Fictional Characters dictionary
McSteamy
and McDreamy
[mik-steem-ee]
and [mik-dreem-ee]
Who are聽惭肠厂迟别补尘测听补苍诲听McDreamy?
Based on the nicknames for two characters from the TV show Grey鈥檚 Anatomy, McDreamy is a colloquial term for a handsome man who would make an ideal husband while a McSteamy is his sexy, lothario counterpart.
Where does McSteamy come from?
In the TV series Grey鈥檚 Anatomy (2005), one of the most popular characters is Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), a prominent love interest of series protagonist Dr. Meredith Grey.
On the show, Shepherd is often referred to by the nickname McDreamy due to his good looks and charm, making him a 鈥渄ream man.鈥�
Labeling people with the construction 鈥淢c-X-y鈥濃�� became a trend on the series, one other notable example being the character of Dr. Mark McSteamy Sloan (Eric Dane). Though McSteamy鈥檚 attractiveness was also a plot point, he was distinguished from McDreamy鈥檚 classic, clean-cut appearance due to his rugged manly edginess. The nicknames suggest that while McDreamy was the man one would marry, McSteamy was the sexy guy you would cheat on your spouse with鈥攚hich, as it happens, is exactly what occurs on the show when the character of Addison has an affair with Dr. McSteamy.
Neither of the terms McDreamy or McSteamy seem to meaningfully predate Grey鈥檚 Anatomy, but McSteamy has since come to be a stand-in for the 鈥渂ad boy鈥� and McDreamy 鈥淢r. Right.鈥�
Examples of McSteamy
Who uses McSteamy?
When discussing attractive males, some men and women use the term McDreamy to refer to a responsible, caring, nice guy, whereas McSteamy would be the rebel who seduces one into a torrid love affair.
Both phrases are usually used by fans of Grey鈥檚 Anatomy who know the reference, often debating whether McDreamy or McSteamy would be the better catch.
The term McSteamy is also often used to refer specifically to actor Eric Dane, the real McSteamy himself. Dane says he doesn鈥檛 mind the nickname, though it鈥檚 now been years since he played the character. Though the same is also true to some extent, for Patrick 鈥淢cDreamy鈥� Dempsey, the actor is also recognized by his real name due his big roles in movies like Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Bridget Jones鈥檚 Baby. Eric Dane has largely stuck to TV since his McSteamy days.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of McSteamy like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of McSteamy that will help our users expand their word mastery.