blowsy

or blowz·y

[blou-zee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blowsy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, blows·i·er, blows·i·est

having a coarse, ruddy complexion.

disheveled in appearance; unkempt.

Also blowsed, blowzed

[blouzd] /ˈblaʊzd/.

Origin of blowsy

1760–70; obsolete blowze wench (< ?) + -y¹

Related formsblows·i·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for blowsy

run-down, shabby, frumpy, dingy, drab, antiquated, unkempt, baggy, vintage, bygone, plain, blooming, crimson, florid, flush, flushed, fresh, full-blooded, glowing, healthy

Examples from the Web for blowsy

Historical Examples of blowsy

That face, all blowsy and flushed, was at once wild and stupefied.
Tatterdemalion
John Galsworthy
As if I would have given her any money, the impudent, blowsy thing!
In Wild Rose Time
Amanda M. Douglas
"Rough and blowsy, of course, like any other country girl," was Rose's reply.
The English Orphans
Mary Jane Holmes
There was a blowsy cheeked bar-maid, Mother Conarty's daughter.
Tramping on Life
Harry Kemp
The loveliness of the woods in March is not, assuredly, of this blowsy rustic type.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XXII (of 25)
Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for blowsy

blowsy

blowzy

adjective blowsier, blowsiest, blowzier or blowziest

(esp of a woman) untidy in appearance; slovenly or sluttish

(of a woman) ruddy in complexion; red-faced

Derived Formsblowsily or blowzily, adverbblowsiness or blowziness, noun

Word Origin for blowsy

C18: from dialect blowze beggar girl, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012