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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of homely
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
Eighteen months ago, the Jewish Museum London, which occupied an idiosyncratic, homely town house in Camden, where my wife and I used to take our kids on rainy weekends, closed its doors for lack of funding.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
Her new homely passageway features a doormat, letterbox, a wreath made up of leaves and a plant.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homely
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
Eighteen months ago, the Jewish Museum London, which occupied an idiosyncratic, homely town house in Camden, where my wife and I used to take our kids on rainy weekends, closed its doors for lack of funding.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
Her new homely passageway features a doormat, letterbox, a wreath made up of leaves and a plant.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homely
Adjective
-
Everyone knew it, especially when some San Francisco Giants batters took ugly hacks against it in the first inning.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Win that one, too, of course, and the No. 1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers and the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference would await to very likely only elongate the end for this Heat season and end it ugly. Do not expect a play-in to the Finals miracle run like Miami pulled off two years ago.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 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 architectural vandalism was hideous and heartbreaking to watch, inhumane civic renewal by wrecking ball in the discredited vein of Robert Moses.—
Frank Rich,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The month leading up to their Champions League tie with Real Madrid has been absolutely hideous.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The choreography is grotesque, but efficient — an intricate, parasitic pageant engineered to keep the show going for as long as the fungus needs until the next brood comes along.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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Returnal Returnal was one of the first exclusives of the PS5 generation; a fabulously grotesque sci-fi horror dirge, and still worth your attention today.—
Luke Winkie,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As far back as 2002, a study published in the journal Animal Welfare looking at the behavior of 97 dogs in a rescue center concluded that extended periods of time in a shelter often led to canines behaving in a manner deemed unattractive to potential adopters.—
Jack Beresford,
Newsweek,
9 Mar. 2025
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What makes these plants unattractive to deer—prickly or hairy stems or leaves, a pungent scent, or a covering of fuzzy hairs—is a win for your garden, adding charm to your landscape.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homely. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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