frump
Americannoun
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a person who is dowdy, drab, and unattractive.
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a dull, old-fashioned person.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
We’ll meet some new faces too: Grandmama Hester Frump, played by “Absolutely Fabulous” star Joanna Lumley, and Steve Buscemi as Nevermore’s new principal Barry Dort.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025
Veteran British actress Lumley has joined the cast as Hester Frump, Wednesday's grandmother and closest ally.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025
Mr. Frump said The Observer had struggled to attract younger progressive donors and that its core supporters were “aging out and not as active and not as generous as they once were.”
From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2023
"The editorial quality of the Texas Observer is excellent, and it deserves to live on in some format," Frump said.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2023
How it came to pass that the unreliable Matthew Maltboy had become the affianced one of the pleasant widow Frump, it is not the purpose of this history to record.
From Round the Block by Bouton, John Bell
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.
