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
Helen, on the other hand, has blossomed from dowdy to dazzling, and is now a best-selling author bent on revenge and wooing back Ernest.
—
Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
-
The pass from Dennis Schröder wouldn’t be as sloppy if Josh Hart didn’t get so in his face.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
-
But several lawmakers have been using their best stage whisper to urge Leadership teams in the House and Senate that this sort of sloppy handling of sensitive information cannot become normalized.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Screenshot inappropriate gun marketing content and circulate it.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
9 May 2025
-
Originally a producer on the project, he was fired for cause after at least one incident of inappropriate behavior on Runner that included bullying and yelling at crew.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
9 May 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
-
Not that a show as concerned with integrity as Good Night, and Good Luck wants the superficial pulse of a thriller, but still, there’s something a touch too shaggy in its current theatricality to keep us consistently attuned to its turns and its stakes.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
-
This romantically rustic wreath weaves shaggy swags of greenery with white tulips and stalks of berries, then ties it all together with a neat black-and-white bow.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But regulations that apply to traditional markets are unsuitable for digital native assets like crypto and digital assets.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
The vacant land, which was largely unsuitable for agriculture, became an albatross over the next few decades.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
25 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
-
Disappointed Steve Dear Steve: The real disappointment comes from slovenly people who throw trash onto our highways, or fail to properly secure their cargo.—
Frank Fellone,
Arkansas Online,
2 May 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share