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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
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
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
See All Example Sentences for dowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dowdy
Adjective
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There were loud boos at half-time, a smattering in the closing minutes and a few more at the final whistle as England played without any real intensity, were sloppy in possession and struggled to break down a team more than happy to sit everyone behind the ball.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
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Though her level of play has vacillated between sharp and sloppy throughout the tournament, Gauff was mostly dialed in against Boisson, who captivated the Parisian crowds in recent days.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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What if the user is in an inappropriate environment?—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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The constable’s office was notified of the inappropriate request June 10 when the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force came into contact with Slusher’s request, officials said in a news release.—
Kate Linderman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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As evening fell, the drizzle let up and the creatures of the night were able to shed their unfashionable plastic ponchos.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
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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
Adjective
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The goldendoodle named Bruno is crossbreed of a golden retriever and a poodle, and is known to have unique fur—loose curls and sometimes shaggy.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
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The bison’s large, hump-like shoulder, shaggy fur, and thick mane distinguish it from the smoother-coated buffalo.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 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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Only this time, Trump’s ambush was far more clearly choreographed, and thus somewhat less unstylish.—
Jonny Steinberg,
Time,
22 May 2025
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The sequences in which the crew shoots the movie also provide some of the most memorable technical flourishes for a film that’s largely sturdy and relatively unstylish, and Saleh has a bit of fun staging his tense thriller on some cheap looking soundstages.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The other near certainty in Lead Actor should be Gary Oldman, who anchors Slow Horses with a slovenly charisma that is, against all odds, deeply watchable.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
24 May 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dowdy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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