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
The nightingale glanced at her small and homely child in mild surprise, as did the page.
—
Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
With pale, irregular surfaces dotted with black bits of char, the homely slabs aren’t much to look at, but the first bite packs a big smoky punch that only grows with each subsequent chew.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Conjure the homely, heart-warming elements of the season and take inspiration from nature with Taupe 03 Soho Roc House by Lick.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2025
Evening Curiously, despite being in the southerly Krabi region, Bun Noodle serves delightful, aesthetically lovely northern Thai dishes (the family is from Chiang Mai) in a homely setting.
—Adam Turner, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homely
Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
With pale, irregular surfaces dotted with black bits of char, the homely slabs aren’t much to look at, but the first bite packs a big smoky punch that only grows with each subsequent chew.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Conjure the homely, heart-warming elements of the season and take inspiration from nature with Taupe 03 Soho Roc House by Lick.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2025
Evening Curiously, despite being in the southerly Krabi region, Bun Noodle serves delightful, aesthetically lovely northern Thai dishes (the family is from Chiang Mai) in a homely setting.
—Adam Turner, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homely
Adjective
-
An ugly first period added to the initial grimness.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Their pricey homegrown core — Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs — combined to go 13-of-42 from the field and an ugly 1-of-13 from deep.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Usually a team of elegant offense, Michigan instead clanked 13 triples off the rim and relied on its inside defensive ferocity to win a game nearly as aesthetically unpleasing as UConn’s 53-41 win over Butler in 2011.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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Rosemary makes one of the best companion plants for apple trees because of its strong scent that's unpleasing to critters looking to snack on a juicy red apple.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Car launches are generally ghastly events, and this was way down there with the most hideous… and perhaps gave a clue as to why VW struggles to match its huge European sales success in America.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The hideous prospect of interviewing for jobs even more pointless than this one appears before me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Not so in laissez-faire London, where unregulated insurance markets enabled all kinds of grotesque gambling schemes to thrive.—
Stuart Jeffries,
Air Mail,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Goombas are Gremlin-like and grotesque.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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