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
Her new homely passageway features a doormat, letterbox, a wreath made up of leaves and a plant.
—
George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
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
There is no fruit more poetic than the homely apple: Horticulturally, an apple is a kind of pome.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution.
7.
—Katharina Schwarze, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homely
George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
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
There is no fruit more poetic than the homely apple: Horticulturally, an apple is a kind of pome.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution.
7.
—Katharina Schwarze, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homely
Adjective
-
The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 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
-
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
-
The hideous brutalist Embarcadero fountain had frozen over; couples skated across it like holiday shoppers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
-
There are no save-the-cat redemptions for a man who became famous for torturing, murdering and performing hideous experiments on countless Jews as part of a team of doctors overseeing medical services at Auschwitz-Birkenau.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
The world is cruel, unfair and full of horrors, many of which will grow increasingly grotesque in our lifetimes.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
27 June 2025
-
In the early 1900s, long before smartphones and selfie sticks, tourists flocked to Yellowstone National Park — not for the geysers or scenery, but for a grotesque show: A nightly spectacle of grizzly bears raiding cafeteria scraps from open-pit landfills like desperate, starving pirates.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
While these advancements are promising, Rocket Lab's stock appears expensive and unattractive at its current valuation, especially given its recent significant rally.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
There are a few family members who only wear olive, mustard, khaki, black and other dull colors; clunky, unattractive shoes; and few accessories.—
Judith Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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