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
Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).
—
Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
To stay warm without looking dowdy, add a fuzzy shrug or jacket on top and a pair of lace or plumetis tights below.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
To stay warm without looking dowdy, add a fuzzy shrug or jacket on top and a pair of lace or plumetis tights below.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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But instead of looking shapeless or sloppy, Klum proves this formula can be quite modern and stylish when done with classic basics like a white shirt and jeans.—
Emma Mehl,
Glamour,
23 July 2025
-
His hair’s not looking all sloppy in the morning anymore.—
Alyssa Cooper
July 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Once the encounter was posted online, internet sleuths quickly detected the identity of the duo, and the encounter was deemed particularly inappropriate given Byron is married.—
Kim Elsesser,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
Back then, Trump derided White House events for foreign dignitaries held in tents, saying that was an inappropriate way to entertain them.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
People who write paeans to the suburbs, on topics that sit on the cusp between white-collar and blue-collar, are unfashionable these days.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
-
Unlike many of their previous teams, who always fell short at major events often in the most dire circumstances, this South Africa side was unfashionable.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Saja Boys are memorable creations of their own, an over-the-top collection of shaggy haircuts, dewy faces, and bright streetwear that instantly invokes the heartthrobs of BTS or Stray Kids.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
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The researchers found that climate shifts that underwrote the spread of grasslands allowed big sloths to arise, the shaggy mammals then altering those habitats to maintain open spaces best suited to big bodies capable of moving long distances.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Intermittent fasting, for example, may be unsuitable for people with pre-existing conditions or irritable bowel syndrome.—
Desireé Oostland,
Vogue,
17 July 2025
-
While effective in commercial spheres, this approach to AI, which often involves a disregard for data privacy, is viewed as unsuitable for Washington.—
Dean DeBiase,
Forbes.com,
14 July 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
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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
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Hoka Women’s Kaha 2 GTX Waterproof Hiking Boots Hiking boots don’t need to be frumpy and unstylish—just look at this adorable pair that’s now up to 59 percent off just in time for the Fourth of July.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
5 July 2025
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Only this time, Trump’s ambush was far more clearly choreographed, and thus somewhat less unstylish.—
Jonny Steinberg,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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Related Stories The movie O’Neil has put together out of this footage, which premiered last night at Cannes, is by any real-world standard a slovenly and undisciplined piece of work.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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