frump

[ fruhmp ]

/ frʌmp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frump ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who is dowdy, drab, and unattractive.

a dull, old-fashioned person.

Nearby words

fruity, frum, frumentaceous, frumentius, frumenty, frump, frumpy, frunze, frusemide, frustrate, frustrated

Origin of frump

First recorded in 1545–55; origin uncertain

Related forms

frump·ish, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for frump

The looking-glass had bitter things to tell me, and crying makes me such a frump.
A Man in the Open|Roger Pocock
I think the frump—this Miss Kirkland, you know—is a fright—regular freak, dash it!
The Haunted Pajamas|Francis Perry Elliott
Mrs. Frump drew out a little memorandum book from one of her pockets, and consulted.
Round the Block|John Bell Bouton
For the frump was sitting there behind the steering wheel, looking down at me in a nasty, sidewise fashion.
The Haunted Pajamas|Francis Perry Elliott

The frump kind of glared down the deserted vista of the fine old hall and shrugged her shoulders.
The Haunted Pajamas|Francis Perry Elliott

British Dictionary definitions for frump

frump

/ (frʌmp) /

noun

a woman who is dowdy, drab, or unattractive

Word Origin for frump

C16 (in the sense: to be sullen; C19: dowdy woman): from Middle Dutch verrompelen to wrinkle, rumple

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