dowdy

1 of 3

adjective

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
dowdily adverb
dowdiness noun
dowdyish adjective

dowdy

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural dowdies
archaic
: a dowdy woman

dowdy

3 of 3

noun (2)

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
In contrast to the depictions of suffragists as dowdy old maids, the woman portrayed in this postcard is conventionally attractive and fashionably dressed. Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024 At 570 Fifth, on the corner of West 46th Street, a new tower will soon rise to replace an array of dowdy prewar holdouts. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 July 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for dowdy 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

diminutive of dowd dowdy, from Middle English doude

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Adjective

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1581, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dowdy was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near dowdy

Cite this Entry

“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowdy. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dowdy

adjective
ˈdau̇d-ē
dowdier; dowdiest
1
: not neatly or well dressed or cared for
2
: not stylish
dowdily
ˈdau̇d-ᵊl-ē
adverb
dowdiness
ˈdau̇d-ē-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dowdy

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