1
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
a dowdy old matron
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of dowdy
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
Unexpectedly, a character who seemed to be a stock figure — the dowdy matron, clucking over the girls in her charge — emerges as someone much richer and better, raising the show along with her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).
—Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
Unexpectedly, a character who seemed to be a stock figure — the dowdy matron, clucking over the girls in her charge — emerges as someone much richer and better, raising the show along with her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).
—Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
-
Had the veteran made sloppy errors or been at blame for any goals conceded, Farke would have been left with nowhere else to turn.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
-
During Nebraska’s run, Cardenas endured an uncharacteristic sloppy spell, turning over the ball six times in the first half.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Mickey Rourke was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother UK house after further usage of inappropriate language.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Lewin has insisted there was nothing inappropriate about this visit.—
Nick Tabor,
Curbed,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie takes its title for the unfashionable floater of a nearly unhittable pitch, long, high and vexing.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
-
King-Hammond suggested yet another factor: his focus on people, and not formalist ideas, was unfashionable in the eyes of art history’s shapers.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
With their thick, shaggy fur, the 5-month-old wolves are better adapted to the cold.—
Emily Mullin,
Wired News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
In the first, the sheepdog appears engulfed by a thick coat of long white fur, his face nearly obscured by the shaggy mass.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Olivia Heller/The Hustle For-profit developers, for one thing, often find church and synagogue properties unsuitable for redevelopment.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Such glues and taped seams make Gore-tex jackets unsuitable for chemical recycling.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.—
Roxanne Adamiyatt,
Town & Country,
29 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share