1
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
a dowdy old matron
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste
the dowdy, beat-up furniture at the cheap motel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dowdy
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.
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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
Sweeney plays against type as a meek, dowdy wife fighting to find her voice.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dowdy 
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
Sweeney plays against type as a meek, dowdy wife fighting to find her voice.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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Their puck play was sloppy, their penalty kill was awful and they got consistently outworked by the Canadiens.Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
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Another failed sloppy takedown briefly put Covington on the ground.Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The defense also highlighted that specific allegations about inappropriate touching weren’t made until late November 2019 during the investigation.Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
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He was later caught sending inappropriate photos to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina and eventually sentenced to around a year and a half behind bars for the incident.Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The project ratified a longstanding belief of mine: that credible scientists should not be discouraged from doing research on unfashionable topics, because good science deepens our understanding of the world and can lead to unanticipated applications.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2024
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Five days feels unfashionable, but five Test matches between the two best sides in the world should more than compensate.Tim Ellis, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The 28-year-old actor appeared on the Dec. 12 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with his latest look, a thin mustache and his normally long curly hair trimmed in a shorter, shaggy crop.Hedy Phillips, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
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Take a cue from the Olsen handbook and look for shaggy details, longline shapes, and reversible designs.Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Human services settings can suffer tremendously from unsuitable employees, who may jeopardize the health, safety or dignity of those in their care.Debra Rinell, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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That alone makes rainbow eucalyptus unsuitable for most yards, but this Southeast Asia native is also an invasive pest in the southernmost portions of the U.S. To avoid issues, some people are growing rainbow eucalyptus indoors.Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Most wine lovers know that the word Sauvignon comes from the French word sauvage and the word blanc simply means white, but most people don’t know the reason is because when untrained vines of the variety have a distinctly unkempt appearance.Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
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But, as in these United States, the key question remains whether creeping totalitarianism — from the left and the right — will squeeze everyday people out of their inalienable right to just be their sometimes obnoxious, unkempt, idiosyncratic selves.Ed Wallace, New York Daily News, 6 June 2024
Adjective
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The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 8 Dec. 2023
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Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 29 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Corruption within the organization, after all, is as much a part of the show as Jackson Lamb’s slovenly habits and horrible diet.Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
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To them, flame is slovenly, backward, even atavistic, tolerable only when used for ceremonial purposes.Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near dowdy
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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