frowzy
Americanadjective
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dirty and untidy; slovenly.
-
ill-smelling; musty.
adjective
-
untidy or unkempt in appearance; shabby
-
ill-smelling; frowsty
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of frowzy
First recorded in 1675–85; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While Berenger attempts to atone for his ill grace at their last meeting, a frowzy, bedridden Jean becomes increasingly antagonistic—and animalistic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
More devastatingly, he finds himself sentenced to live past the Georgian era into the frowzy Victorian age, which could not suit him less, with its “sanctimonious” attitudes and “piety,” as he disdainfully proclaims.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
Each year, right about now, I want to declare it Throw-in-the-Trowel-Week, as the aftermath of spring’s tender, joyous effusion goes beyond charmingly fuzzy to just plain frowzy and tattered.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2021
A frowzy mourning of soot and smoke attired this forlorn creation of Barnard, and it had strewed ashes on its head, and was undergoing penance and humiliation as a mere dust-hole.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 28, 2016
They brought Frankie in very dirty and frowzy.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Ms. Staunton, a magnificent Momma Rose in “Gypsy” two years ago, is surely the frowziest, most compellingly neurotic Sally ever.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2017
To transform one of Manhattan's frowziest avenues into a thing of beauty would be a man-size job.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
