dowdier; dowdiest
1
: not neat or becoming in appearance : shabby
a dowdy old hat
2
a
: lacking smartness or taste
a dowdy room
b
: old-fashioned
a dowdy institution
Synonyms
Examples of dowdy in a Sentence
Adjective
She played a dowdy old woman in the film.
the dowdy, beat-up furniture at the cheap motel
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
Shady events are a thing, too, as consumers are warned to beware of losing good money buying tickets for fake festivals, dowdy parties and counterfeit ticket scams.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 26 Sep. 2024
The refresh of what was a dowdy waterfront area into a high-cost residential section is called the Waterfront di Levante project.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2024
Sara, a dowdy lonely tax inspector determined on retirement, has the chance to go out in glory, proving a Latina pop star is guilty of tax evasion.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dowdy 
Adjective
The roving camera seems to hunt Blanchett through her character’s London townhouse and hip industrial office space, both impeccably rendered in contrast with Stephen’s dowdy row house by production designer Neil Lamont and set decorator Pancho Chamorro.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
Shady events are a thing, too, as consumers are warned to beware of losing good money buying tickets for fake festivals, dowdy parties and counterfeit ticket scams.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 26 Sep. 2024
The refresh of what was a dowdy waterfront area into a high-cost residential section is called the Waterfront di Levante project.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2024
Sara, a dowdy lonely tax inspector determined on retirement, has the chance to go out in glory, proving a Latina pop star is guilty of tax evasion.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dowdy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dowdy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dowdy
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowdy. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share