homely

adjective

home·​ly ˈhōm-lē 

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

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

Synonyms

• grotesque
• hideous
• ill-favored
• monstrous
• ugly
• unappealing
• unattractive
• unbeautiful
• uncomely
• unhandsome
• unlovely
• unpleasing
• unpretty
• unsightly
• vile

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

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

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

Kids 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