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
Bonus points for Sarah Sherman’s dowdy character, who accidentally got on the Epstein list.
—
Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
Once known for dowdy packaging and perhaps questionable tastes or ingredients, the products now compete with national name brands, sparking a shakeup among major food companies.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Defense leaders have sat on their hands, refusing to acknowledge the need for dowdy, run-of-the-mill tankers.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Sadly for such drivers, though, the only mainstream hybrids available in North America are dowdy family cars and boxy SUVs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2010
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
Once known for dowdy packaging and perhaps questionable tastes or ingredients, the products now compete with national name brands, sparking a shakeup among major food companies.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Defense leaders have sat on their hands, refusing to acknowledge the need for dowdy, run-of-the-mill tankers.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Sadly for such drivers, though, the only mainstream hybrids available in North America are dowdy family cars and boxy SUVs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2010
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
-
Absent were any sloppy moments or off-the-cuff interactions.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
-
And devoured them again Saturday night at Viejas Arena in a sloppy 71-52 win that kept the Aztecs tied with Utah State atop the Mountain West at 5-0.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What readers are saying The comments largely focus on the need for the boyfriend to set boundaries with his sister, who exhibits possessive and inappropriate behavior.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The judge seemed to express skepticism toward the defense's argument that officers recovering Mangione's backpack and taking it to the station for examination was inappropriate.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Here’s a rapid-fire update on each stock in the portfolio, starting with seven currently unfashionable names that Jim says should soon be back in style.—
Paulina Likos,Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Even the bearded Texas blues buzzards in ZZ Top, the most proudly unfashionable band around, became unlikely teen idols, just by embracing the absurdity of it all, with their white-fur guitars, and gender parody.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
16 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The actor, 42, sported a shaggy blonde hairstyle during a date night with girlfriend Monica Barbaro to see the Penn and Teller show in Las Vegas.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
In a first, researchers found a chunk of meat from a woolly rhinoceros — a creature similar in size to modern white rhinoceros, but with a shaggy coat of hair — preserved inside the stomach of one of the pups.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Soils that are high in peat moss are unsuitable for citrus trees.—
Derek Carwood,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Jan. 2026
-
These tests, though frequently used in Denmark as part of child protection investigations, were criticized as inappropriate and unsuitable for the people of Greenland and other minorities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Psychosis, disorganization, unkempt, urinating inappropriately.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Her thick, unkempt eyebrows furrow.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
24 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Duplicate collections, wrong dates, incorrect creditor names or accounts listed as unpaid when they were settled are all valid reasons to file a dispute.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The problem of incorrect citations and false legal statements, which attorneys suspect were written by AI tools, appears to be growing, said Felix De La Torre, general counsel for PERB.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
To Washington, a beard made a man look unkempt and slovenly, masking the higher emotions that civility required.—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The other near certainty in Lead Actor should be Gary Oldman, who anchors Slow Horses with a slovenly charisma that is, against all odds, deeply watchable.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
