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
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
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.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
The roving camera seems to hunt Blanchett through her character’s London townhouse and hip industrial office space, both impeccably rendered in contrast with Stephen’s dowdy row house by production designer Neil Lamont and set decorator Pancho Chamorro.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Talia Abbas, Glamour, 15 Jan. 2025
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.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
The roving camera seems to hunt Blanchett through her character’s London townhouse and hip industrial office space, both impeccably rendered in contrast with Stephen’s dowdy row house by production designer Neil Lamont and set decorator Pancho Chamorro.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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Sinner won a bizarre semifinal in his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban, while Alcaraz triumphed in a sloppy duel.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Denver defeated Gang Green 10-9 last season in a rainy, sloppy affair at MetLife Stadium.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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But lingering beneath the surface of his success, Favre had a pattern of inappropriate behavior off the field, including a high-profile tabloid scandal that erupted in 2010, and most recently, the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi’s history.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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As the rebel Jen (Michelle Williams) comes to town, and Pacey (Joshua Jackson) carries on an inappropriate relationship with his teacher, that turns out to be the case. 23.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
20 May 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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Getty Images Jenner's look, on the other hand, was quite a departure from her usual sleek yet shaggy pixie.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
13 May 2025
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These were big, shaggy beasts belonging to a Toda tribe.—
Cyril E. Holland,
Outdoor Life,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Any useless, toxic or otherwise unsuitable man can become a child’s legal father, without being subject to the thorough checks that these women must face.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement Some insects are adapting to changing climates by moving to regions that might have previously been unsuitable.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
20 May 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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Related Stories The movie O’Neil has put together out of this footage, which premiered last night at Cannes, is by any real-world standard a slovenly and undisciplined piece of work.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
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Disappointed Steve Dear Steve: The real disappointment comes from slovenly people who throw trash onto our highways, or fail to properly secure their cargo.—
Frank Fellone,
Arkansas Online,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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