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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
Further, there is the even uglier spectre of players and coaches themselves fixing games.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Shower Heads Even the most high-end shower heads are not immune to ugly mineral deposits and limescale buildup that can clog the holes.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
11 Feb. 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
-
The 4chan logic that turned even the most hideous news and ideas into empty entertainment pervades everything on the internet now—more proof that lol, nothing matters.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The hideous curbside piles of frozen slush blocking New York City streets have a name.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Alison Oliver, meanwhile, gives an unexpectedly elastic performance, bringing grotesque humor and real pathos to Isabella Linton, whose transformation over the course of the film is one of its most convincing arcs.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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The often grotesque, highly entertaining flick stars Alison Lohman as Christine Brown, a perfectly nice bank loan officer with a perfectly nice boyfriend (Justin Long).—
New York Times,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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