1
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
a dowdy old matron
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste
the dowdy, beat-up furniture at the cheap motel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 dowdy
She’s come a long way from Marianne’s dowdy school uniform.
—
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
World-renowned for its cashmere, buttery leather, and tailored wool, Italian winter fashion leaves no room for dowdy sweatpants and sweatshirts.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
In contrast to the depictions of suffragists as dowdy old maids, the woman portrayed in this postcard is conventionally attractive and fashionably dressed.
—Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024
At 570 Fifth, on the corner of West 46th Street, a new tower will soon rise to replace an array of dowdy prewar holdouts.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
World-renowned for its cashmere, buttery leather, and tailored wool, Italian winter fashion leaves no room for dowdy sweatpants and sweatshirts.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
In contrast to the depictions of suffragists as dowdy old maids, the woman portrayed in this postcard is conventionally attractive and fashionably dressed.
—Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024
At 570 Fifth, on the corner of West 46th Street, a new tower will soon rise to replace an array of dowdy prewar holdouts.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
-
The first half was sloppy for both teams as the two totaled nine turnovers each.—
Nathan Canilao,
The Mercury News,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The complaint filed by five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations is among multiple lawsuits pushing back on the administration's efforts to vastly shrink the federal workforce, which Trump has called bloated and sloppy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Some praised the Hitch star for looking happy and returning to music, while others said that the onstage moment of attempting to kiss Martinez was inappropriate.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
While booting a car may be an appropriate remedy to curb parking violations, booting a car that also immobilizes other non-offending vehicles is inappropriate.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
King-Hammond suggested yet another factor: his focus on people, and not formalist ideas, was unfashionable in the eyes of art history’s shapers.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
25 Feb. 2025
-
But here’s the thing: these seemingly unfashionable socks are more than just a snug and stretchy medical necessity.—
Sandra Rose Salathe,
Flow Space,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The lab mice, which have been modified to have shaggy fur and golden coats, are a demonstration of the kind of gene edits that the company hopes to perform on a much larger scale, modifying Asian elephants to more closely resemble their woolly mammoth ancestors.—
Matt Reynolds,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The bed also has an anti-slip bottom and is made with shaggy sherpa fabric.—
Abby Kass,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Polar research and expeditions were considered inherently masculine endeavors unsuitable for women during the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, which began in 1897 and lasted until 1922.—
Nicole Edenedo,
AFAR Media,
3 Mar. 2025
-
When the wildly unsuitable secretary of defense announces there will be 8% cuts in our military budget for each of the next five years, some weapons programs will be reduced or cancelled to meet that goal.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Most wine lovers know that the word Sauvignon comes from the French word sauvage and the word blanc simply means white, but most people don’t know the reason is because when untrained vines of the variety have a distinctly unkempt appearance.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2024
-
But, as in these United States, the key question remains whether creeping totalitarianism — from the left and the right — will squeeze everyday people out of their inalienable right to just be their sometimes obnoxious, unkempt, idiosyncratic selves.—
Ed Wallace,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2024
Adjective
-
The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.—
Stephanie Petit,
Peoplemag,
8 Dec. 2023
-
Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.—
Roxanne Adamiyatt,
Town & Country,
29 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Corruption within the organization, after all, is as much a part of the show as Jackson Lamb’s slovenly habits and horrible diet.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share