as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
along with thousands of other people, we entered our beloved pooch in a contest to find the homeliest dog in the country
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Recent Examples of homely
Whether that is fair or not, the move was certainly a long way from the early-career Meghan who raged against the homely image of women in the kitchen of the Ivory Clear commercial.
—
Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025
Ford’s shrewd boss, Robert McNamara, was ready to kill the nameplate altogether, facing another homely redesign approved for 1961.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025
Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution.
—Katharina Schwarze, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2025
Her new homely passageway features a doormat, letterbox, a wreath made up of leaves and a plant.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homely
Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025
Ford’s shrewd boss, Robert McNamara, was ready to kill the nameplate altogether, facing another homely redesign approved for 1961.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025
Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution.
—Katharina Schwarze, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2025
Her new homely passageway features a doormat, letterbox, a wreath made up of leaves and a plant.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homely
Adjective
-
This was one of the ugliest matches in recent memory; a game that, in isolation, only those fond of trench warfare could love.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Things got a little ugly for Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell this week.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
-
When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
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Here, see the real-life The Twits cast side-by-side with their hilariously hideous animated counterparts.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unlike Boris Karloff’s grotesque Monster in Hollywood’s 1931 horror classic, del Toro’s Creature is, above all, beautiful.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
6 Nov. 2025
-
But Buono definitely knows and goes hilariously over the top playing the incarnation of evil itself under makeup that grows increasingly grotesque as his scene progresses.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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