1
as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
a dowdy old matron
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dowdy
Helen, on the other hand, has blossomed from dowdy to dazzling, and is now a best-selling author bent on revenge and wooing back Ernest.
Desperate, Madeline finds a potion endowing her with eternal youth — but with a few Faustian caveats.
—
Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The league’s reason for not punishing Morant was understanding his intent behind the gesture wasn’t violent, but Morant was advised to refrain from using the inappropriate celebration.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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Is the ‘Minecraft’ movie inappropriate? Not particularly.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The movie takes its title for the unfashionable floater of a nearly unhittable pitch, long, high and vexing.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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In the first, the sheepdog appears engulfed by a thick coat of long white fur, his face nearly obscured by the shaggy mass.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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With their thick, shaggy fur, the 5-month-old wolves are better adapted to the cold.—
Emily Mullin,
Wired News,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If the new wells prove unsuitable for city use, the city has a contingency plan designed for rehabilitation.—
Kyle Martin,
The Mercury News,
25 Mar. 2025
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Until now, scientists have generally thought that planets orbiting white dwarfs would be unsuitable for life because the dynamic temperature decrease of their dead parent star makes their atmospheres too unstable.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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Slippery soles, cold toes, and unstylish footwear should be avoided at all costs.—
Roxanne Adamiyatt,
Town & Country,
29 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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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
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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 14 Apr. 2025.
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