frowsy

adjective

ˈfrau̇-zē How to pronounce frowsy (audio)
variants or frowzy
Definition of frowsynext
1
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person sported a threadbare wardrobe and frowsy hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ripe
having an unpleasant smell the abandoned house was dank and frowsy

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 frowsy Lenker, in plaid, rubs her eyes; James Krivchenia leans forward, sparky and alert; Meek, outdoors in the Topanga sunshine, wears cycling glasses and a frowzy hat. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Sep. 2025 Before the current renovation of the franchised hotels, the rooms looked as if they were stuck in a fussy, frowsy 1980s floral rut. — BostonGlobe.com, 3 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frowsy
  1. sloppy
  2. ripe
  3. wrinkled
  4. stinking
  5. shaggy
  6. filthy
  7. slovenly
  8. fusty
Adjective
  • No one likes the sloppy tailoring of Octavius’s open-back suit, but Law loves the jacket.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • This thick, brownish concoction, a kind of hot dog chili, is sloppy, packs some heat, and the fiery punch to the taste buds can be a surprise to the uninitiated.
    — USA TODAY Network, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • With Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid on the roster, James would finally have the chance, at the ripe age of 41, to be a blender and not have to shoulder the bulk of offensive responsibility.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Visitors snapped selfies and likened the smell to trash rooms, rotten meat and ripe garbage.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of ripe
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
  • America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
  • America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Definition of stinking
Adjective
  • The shaggy golden Saint Berdoodle was killed on June 13 by an LAPD officer while bounding out of Marseille’s Canoga Park apartment.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Yeoh sported a shaggy platinum crop with dark roots peeping through, pairing her transformation with one of the brand’s signature skirt suits.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 7 July 2026
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • Dozens of people had spent almost a year living outside, filthy and exhausted, and for what?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles—with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai—Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • And this is where the movie takes off from retro mythology to become its own slovenly mod thing.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Definition of slovenly
Adjective
  • The story of how this whimsical, gender-fluid brand got into the fusty, dusty, and chronically behind-the-times bridal industry isn't a particularly dramatic one.
    — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 26 June 2026
  • It was given a $31 million overhaul in full-on 18th-century Provençal style by the Airelles Collection in 2014, but managed to emerge classic yet not clichéd, formal but not fusty.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Definition of fusty

Browse Nearby Words

frowsty
frowsy
froze
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Cite this Entry

“Frowsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frowsy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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