frump
Americannoun
-
a person who is dowdy, drab, and unattractive.
-
a dull, old-fashioned person.
noun
Other Word Forms
- frumpish adjective
Etymology
Origin of frump
First recorded in 1545–55; 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.
The typecasting as wallflowers and frumps confused her.
From New York Times
The 38 outfits designed for Diana by William Ivey Long dramatized how she transformed herself from kindergarten teacher to royal frump to executive princess to international fashion plate far better than the writers did.
From New York Times
The rest insist I am a joyless frump.
From The Guardian
‘She’s a frump,’ thought Elizabeth with relief; but Athena stepped forward and held out her hand, and Elizabeth saw the cleverly mended sleeve of her jumper and was suddenly not so sure.
From The New Yorker
The frump and the fop, they looked, but they were something more than that.
From Literature
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.
