dowdy

¹ American  

[dou-dee] / ˈdaʊ di /

adjective

dowdier, dowdiest

1. not stylish; drab; old-fashioned.

   Why do you always wear those dowdy old dresses?

   Synonyms:

   frumpy

   Antonyms:

   stylish, fashionable

2. not neat or tidy; shabby.

---

noun

plural

dowdies

1. a dowdy woman.

dowdy ² American  

[dou-dee] / ˈdaʊ di /

noun

plural

dowdies

1. a shortened form of pandowdy.

---

dowdy British  

/ ˈdaʊdɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of a woman's dress) drab, unflattering, and old-fashioned

---

noun

1. a dowdy woman

Other Word Forms

• dowdily
  adverb
• dowdiness
  noun
• dowdyish
  adjective
• dowdyism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dowdy¹

1300–50; Middle English doude unattractive woman (of uncertain origin) + -y ¹ or -y ²

Origin of dowdy²

First recorded in 1935–40; short form

Explanation

Someone dowdy dresses badly and has a shabby, unstylish appearance. If you can’t remember the last time you went shopping, beware, you may be dowdy. People tend to use the word dowdy mostly to describe women, in particular older women. In addition, it not only means shabbily dressed, but also relates specifically to the idea of style, or rather the lack of it. Applied to clothing, it also means out of date, in an old-fashioned, dull sort of way. Wild 1970s-style love beads may be out of style, but they can never be called dowdy! A sensible gray tweed skirt or the person wearing it? Most likely dowdy!

Related Words

• antiquated
• dingy
• drab
• frumpy
• run down
• shabby
• unkempt