dowdier; dowdiest
1
: not neat or becoming in appearance : shabby
a dowdy old hat
2
a
: lacking smartness or taste
a dowdy room
b
: old-fashioned
a dowdy institution
Examples of dowdy in a Sentence
Adjective
She played a dowdy old woman in the film.
the dowdy, beat-up furniture at the cheap motel
Recent Examples on the Web
Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).
—Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
To stay warm without looking dowdy, add a fuzzy shrug or jacket on top and a pair of lace or plumetis tights below.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
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Adjective
Unexpectedly, a character who seemed to be a stock figure — the dowdy matron, clucking over the girls in her charge — emerges as someone much richer and better, raising the show along with her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).
—Cullen Murphy, airmail.news, 15 Feb. 2025
To stay warm without looking dowdy, add a fuzzy shrug or jacket on top and a pair of lace or plumetis tights below.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowdy. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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