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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 homely
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
The Athletic’s score: 161 Auckland City’s homely Kiwitea Street stadium (Phil Walter/Getty Images)
31.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for homely
Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2025
The Athletic’s score: 161 Auckland City’s homely Kiwitea Street stadium (Phil Walter/Getty Images)
31.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for homely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homely
Adjective
-
Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Sure, coach Mike Tomlin's teams tend to win ugly games, but not in the playoffs — at least not lately.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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
-
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
-
Such jars of moldy fruit were probably fairly hideous to consume.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
-
Dazzled by their self-image as humanity’s philanthropic guides, they were doomed to reprise the grotesque logic of slave camps under the flag of freedom.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share