blowsy

adjective

ˈblau̇-zē How to pronounce blowsy (audio)
variants also blowzy
Definition of blowsynext
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person a large, blowsy woman in frumpy clothes runs the diner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 blowsy In the final scene, the one female regular at the Royal, a blowsy barfly well played by Barbara Lowing, is moving toward the bar as Hanna and Liv move decisively in the other direction. — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023 The queen of Playland was Laughing Sal, a tall, blowsy figure of fun, with a maniacal laugh. — Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blowsy
  1. sloppy
  2. shaggy
  3. messy
  4. slovenly
  5. unkempt
  6. untidy
  7. dowdy
Adjective
  • Read's lawyers pointed repeatedly to sloppy policing, including leaving the scene unsecured for hours and not searching the house.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The Canucks managed to win despite an off night for Quinn Hughes and some sloppy defensive coverage in the neutral zone throughout the evening, but especially in the first period.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • And yet the series is less a document of careful sleuthing and more a shaggy chronicle of teen-like longing for revelation and salvation.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Another farm experience is Kitchen Coos & Ewes, a safari-like tour of a farm in southwest Scotland with shaggy Highland cows and a record-breaking flock of beltex sheep.
    — AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • That will mean messy debates over taxes, benefits programs, the debt ceiling and other big-ticket items.
    — Riley Beggin, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Grey's Anatomy may have hit its 20th anniversary last month, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more medical drama (with messy romances) — and Netflix wants in.
    — Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of messy
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
Definition of slovenly
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
Definition of unkempt
Adjective
  • Research published in Personal Relationships reflects this trend: Women often feel burdened by men’s untidy habits such as leaving messes.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Where Olive is messy, untidy, and unconcerned about the state of her apartment, Florence is obsessively clean, tidy, and obsessed with hygiene.
    — Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Definition of untidy
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
Definition of dowdy

Browse Nearby Words

blows up
blowsy
blow the whistle (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blowsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blowsy. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.

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