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blowsy

or blowz·y

[blou-zee]
See more synonyms for blowsy on Thesaurus.com
adjective, blows·i·er, blows·i·est
  1. having a coarse, ruddy complexion.
  2. disheveled in appearance; unkempt.
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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. 2018

Related Words

run-downshabbyfrumpydingydrabantiquatedunkemptbaggyvintagebygoneplainbloomingcrimsonfloridflushflushedfreshfull-bloodedglowinghealthy

Examples from the Web for blowsy

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • The loveliness of the woods in March is not, assuredly, of this blowsy rustic type.

British Dictionary definitions for blowsy

blowsy

blowzy

adjective blowsier, blowsiest, blowzier or blowziest
  1. (esp of a woman) untidy in appearance; slovenly or sluttish
  2. (of a woman) ruddy in complexion; red-faced
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Derived Formsblowsily or blowzily, adverbblowsiness or blowziness, noun

Word Origin

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