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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 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 Bonus points for Sarah Sherman’s dowdy character, who accidentally got on the Epstein list. — Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025 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
  • After the game on Sunday, Harbaugh called the performance sloppy.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Sunday’s season-opening debacle — a sloppy, uninspired and uninspiring 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium — was a first, giant step back for these Chargers.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • The Star spoke to 11 current and former employees who have worked for Sanders and who all detailed various types of abuse and inappropriate behavior that had allegedly taken place at their workplace.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The inappropriate touching included slapping her on the buttocks and touching her hair and thighs, the report states.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 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
  • The very characteristics that made blue-collar businesses unfashionable, their physicality and labor intensity, are now their defensive moat.
    — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As one Ithacan subject fondly recalls, Odysseus always had an unfashionable belief in playing fair.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of unfashionable
Adjective
  • Jesse Olstead, a twenty-nine-year-old with shaggy brown hair, kept stopping by the box to check the jump list.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There’s little tension or drive, just shaggy scenes about paranoia, trust and hope.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • Guy acknowledges, though, that this could lead to the level of chaos depicted in a memorable 2009 episode of The Office, where staff show up in an array of unsuitable outfits.
    — Chloe Veltman, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That could allow geothermal projects to operate in locations that have traditionally been considered unsuitable for geothermal development.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuitable
Adjective
  • His voice is raspy, and the once-cleanly cut soul patch that defined his look is scraggly and unkempt.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Just across the sidewalk from the West Martello Tower, a Civil War-era fort where the Garden Club is housed, lies an unkempt field of grass, worn out by dehydration and footsteps.
    — Oliver Wu, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unkempt
Adjective
  • There is no doubt this one will be chalked up as an incorrect decision in the eyes of the KMI panel.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier reports that the fire was caused by damage to the Tesla’s lithium-ion battery may be incorrect, Brown said.
    — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of incorrect

Browse Nearby Words

dowdily
dowdy
dower
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Cite this Entry

“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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