If you call a man dashing, you mean he looks sharp and carries himself with confidence — good clothes, a bit of flair, the kind of presence people notice when he walks in. It is an admiring word, a little old-fashioned and a little like a film: a well-cut suit, not gym clothes. People still use it, but more in writing, films, and teasing compliments than in everyday teen talk. It is almost always about a man; calling a woman dashing is possible but rare. The feeling is stylish energy, not just “handsome.”