dowdy

adjective

ˈdau̇-dē How to pronounce dowdy (audio)
Definition of dowdynext
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

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 Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish playing Aunt Sassy, a dowdy sidekick character. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026 Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts. — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 Cher’s memorable transformation from a dowdy Italian widow residing in Brooklyn, NY, stole the movie. — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026 Chris Hemsworth, then, almost as good-looking as GNev himself, with his slightly dowdy brother Luke cast as good old Phil. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
  1. sloppy
  2. inappropriate
  3. wrinkled
  4. unfashionable
  5. shaggy
  6. unsuitable
  7. unkempt
  8. incorrect
Adjective
  • With it, blustery and sloppy conditions are expected from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and into coastal parts of the Northeast later in the week.
    — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In one of the ugliest, sloppiest games of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys somehow squeaked out a 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday to move to 4-5 on the season.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • Walliams was dropped last year by publisher HarperCollins after allegations were made of inappropriate behavior.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • At the time, The Telegraph reported the publisher’s decision followed an investigation into Walliams’ inappropriate behaviour towards young women.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Participants with wet but non-wrinkled fingers required significantly more force to maintain the same hold; their hands were working harder to do less.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of wrinkled
Adjective
  • Chemically straightened Afro hairstyles had gone from being the default to increasingly unfashionable.
    — Ata-owaji Victor, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The dressing room—with its old Persian rug and deeply unfashionable mahogany desk—is just wrong enough to be, well, cool.
    — Plum Sykes, Architectural Digest, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfashionable
Adjective
  • The actor and producer has swapped the shaggy, caramel-toned lengths of recent months for a razor-sharp, jaw-grazing cut in a cool-toned shade of blonde.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Atop the mesh base, most of the overlays are also rendered in shaggy shade for a further emphasis on texture.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • Such temperatures can rapidly compromise frozen inventory and make affected products unsuitable for consumption.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Bears have said previously that they are focused on pursuing a $2 billion stadium across the state line in Hammond or in suburban Arlington Heights, and that the Rate Field site was unsuitable, citing in part its limited size.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsuitable
Adjective
  • The drunken Ken spends his time on such things as warbling a karaoke version of a 4 Non Blondes song while an unkempt Ryu is a purveyor of ramen so bad even a stray cat won’t eat it.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Wendy Louis, 40, was arrested Tuesday after deputies conducted a welfare check on his home on Northeast 175th Street and found his children extremely thin and with unkempt, matted hair, the sheriff’s office said.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unkempt
Adjective
  • The Department complies with all record retention obligations, and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Voting-rights advocates and election experts questioned whether errors in the unverified data contributed to potentially incorrect inactivations, the outlet reported.
    — Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of incorrect

Browse Nearby Words

dowdily
dowdy
dower
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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