homely

adjective

home·​ly ˈhōm-lē How to pronounce homely (audio)
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 touchBrendan Gill
3
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

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Like that terrible, homely, orange curly-haired nurse, with orange polyester and bad glasses. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for homely 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English homly, homely "belonging to a household, used at home, close, intimate, meek, tame, common, unattractive," from hom home entry 1 + -ly -ly entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homely was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near homely

Cite this Entry

“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homely. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

homely

adjective
home·​ly ˈhōm-lē How to pronounce homely (audio)
homelier; homeliest
1
: characteristic of home life
homely meals
2
: not pretty or handsome
a homely person
homeliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on homely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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