homelier; homeliest
1
: suggestive or characteristic of a place of residence or home
2
: being something familiar with which a person is comfortable and at ease : comfortable and familiar like home
satisfy themselves with houses, furniture, books and clothes that were worn and homely and friendly to the touch—
Brendan Gill
Brendan Gill3
a
: free from affectation : unaffectedly natural : simple
plain, homely prose
b
: not elaborate or complex
homely virtues
4
: plain or unattractive in appearance
a homely face
he's a bit homely
homeliness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of homely in a Sentence
She has a homely face.
He's a bit homely but nice.
the homely appeal of farm life
Recent Examples on the Web
The homely atmosphere is complemented by genuinely warm service, making guests feel more like visiting friends than restaurant patrons.
—Lela London, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
The firms today have innocuous, homely names such as Dave.com and Brigit; their websites are adorned with stock photos of young people and families evidently basking in the relief of a short-term financial crisis averted.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2024
Over-collars with homely top-stitching details look like something out of The Scarlet Letter.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024
The colour palette of petrol-blue, canary yellow and bright orange adds to this homely vibe and feels at once interesting and welcoming.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for homely 
Lela London, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
The firms today have innocuous, homely names such as Dave.com and Brigit; their websites are adorned with stock photos of young people and families evidently basking in the relief of a short-term financial crisis averted.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2024
Over-collars with homely top-stitching details look like something out of The Scarlet Letter.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024
The colour palette of petrol-blue, canary yellow and bright orange adds to this homely vibe and feels at once interesting and welcoming.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for homely
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homely. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
homely
adjective
home·ly
ˈhōm-lē 
homelier; homeliest
1
: characteristic of home life
homely meals
2
: not pretty or handsome
a homely person
homeliness
noun
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