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
World-renowned for its cashmere, buttery leather, and tailored wool, Italian winter fashion leaves no room for dowdy sweatpants and sweatshirts.
—
Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
-
In the 24th minute, Mitchell senior captain Adam Naim, who had already been shown a yellow for dissent, was issued his second yellow for a sloppy tackle from behind and was sent off, forcing the Mustangs to play a man down for the rest of the match.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Making the leads play to sloppy Boomer and Gen Z stereotypes is a slight to everyone involved, including the audience.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Doing so discourages inappropriate behavior with clear sanctions that are duly communicated to the entire organization, while good behavior is rewarded.—
Susana Sierra,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
While booting a car may be an appropriate remedy to curb parking violations, booting a car that also immobilizes other non-offending vehicles is inappropriate.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
It's never really been unfashionable to wear a bow in your hair; it's just been extra-super-trendy for the last year or two.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
13 Feb. 2025
-
There were also dozens more Baroque paintings, many dating to the seventeenth century and acquired in the nineteen-eighties and nineties, when such works were unfashionable.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
22 July 2024
Adjective
-
Welles, a singer-songwriter with a shaggy, dirty-blond mane and a sandpapery voice, has risen to recent prominence posting videos to social media of himself alone in the woods near his home in northwest Arkansas, performing wryly funny, politically engaged folk songs.—
David Peisner,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Average retail prices range from $215 to $495 for the line, which includes vibrant jackets with circular-type sleeves, miniskirts and a shaggy wool coat.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
So, with the names in play unsuitable, and no speed merchants on the trade block, does Oilers GM Stan Bowman pivot to another player type?—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
-
The following year, regulators ruled that the company was unsuitable to operate its casinos in Sydney and Queensland, placing them under government supervision.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
10 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share