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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dowdy
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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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Earlier, a pair of Harry Kane goals — his ninth and 10th at World Cups — had twice put England ahead, only for some sloppy defending and smart attacking play to give Croatia a route back.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
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Instead of one scammer typing out sloppy messages from a laptop, this setup worked more like a criminal software business.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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There really isn’t anything inappropriate about our relationship.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
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Perhaps the way the fictional characters behave is inappropriate, but that's what made the show so funny.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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More to Explore Many of the human props—canes, top hats, desks—used in primate taxidermy became unfashionable in the first half of the nineteenth century, but there were still throwbacks.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
18 May 2026
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In The Devil Wears Prada 2, Novak stars as the unfashionable businessman Jay Ravitz.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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That charming and shaggy approach is fitting for such a campy and irreverent comedy, ultimately substituting polish for an equal mixture of artistic grit and careless joy.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
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Last Wednesday, the hotel was swarmed with guys sporting shaggy haircuts, all looking like Geese frontman Cameron Winter.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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As a result of the unsuitable conditions, Stevie was starving and dehydrated.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
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There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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The back yard, casually unkempt and shaded by tall trees, exudes natural splendor.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
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Planting a native garden does not have to mean a wild, unkempt aesthetic.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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The researchers calculated welfare losses from incorrect beliefs could potentially reach up to 43% of the initial loan balance in the most extreme cases, translating to roughly $21,500 on the median borrower’s $50,000 in debt.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
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For example, many borrowers are getting incorrect estimates of what their bill would be on IBR, Rodriguez said.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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