Known for his cynical humor and pragmatism, and also for his severe anti-chivalric attitudes in the original French texts, he serves as a foil to Tristan in his softened portrayal in the English compilation Le Morte d'Arthur.

Lacy, who called him "one of his most delightful creations" of the Prose Tristan, Dinadan, a pragmatist and a jovial cynic, consistently questions the conventions of chivalry and condemns, for example, the folly of doing battle for no purpose other than to demonstrate valor.

[3] Early parts of the Prose Tristan initially feature Dinadan as a more of a typical knight errant character of Arthurian romance, less sensible and with limited sarcasm as compared to his characterization in other French tellings, such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle—but not to the one in Thomas Malory's iconic English Arthurian compilation Le Morte d'Arthur, where his character is both already fully established and markedly toned down compared to the corresponding episodes from Malory's French text sources.

[6] Based on the Prose Tristan in a highly abridged form, Malory's portrayal of Dinadan (Dynadan) remains a comedic character as he retains some of the French version's cynical humor and inclination towards mocking chivalry, albeit without much of his original ironic commentaries.

[10] During his visit to the court of Cornwall in search of his friend, the young hero Tristan (Tristram), Dinadan shares supper with Queen Iseult (La Beale Isoud), revealing his deliberate choice to have no lady-love or paramour to inspire his noble deeds.

Unlike other portrayals, this version of Dinadan is depicted as a violent misogynist who harbors deep animosity towards women, including Tristan's beloved Iseult (Isotta), whom he openly insults as a "whore".

Dinadan has appeared in a number of modern works, including the musical Camelot in which he was portrayed by John Cullum in the original 1960 Broadway production while Anthony Rogers played the role in the 1967 film version.