homebody
Americannoun
-
homebodies
plural
noun
Usage
What is a homebody? A homebody is a person who enjoys being at home and doing activities that center around the home. If your ideal day includes staying home and working on home improvement projects, indulging in hobbies, or reading and playing video games, you might call yourself a homebody. While homebodies go out with friends and travel, their preference is staying at home, often alone or with close family. That preference is important. Sometimes homebody is applied to people with a mental illness, like agoraphobia, or a physical disability that keeps them at home, but that would be inaccurate. A homebody prefers to stay at home. If a disability keeps someone at home most of the time when they’d rather be traveling the world, for example, they are not a homebody. Equally, if someone is always away from home because they have to be but they want to be home, they still might call themselves a homebody. Example: Marvin was a real homebody, preferring to spend his days cooking in his kitchen for his family and friends.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of homebody
Explanation
Do you prefer staying in with your cat on Saturday nights, rather than going out to crowded parties? If so, you might call yourself a homebody, someone who favors being in the place where they live. Use the informal homebody for anyone who typically opts for staying home instead of going out. We often think of homebodies as being unadventurous ("Want to come with me to Morocco?" "No thanks, I'm a bit of a homebody!"), and while most of us are comfortable at home, a homebody feels especially safe, content, and happy there. The first recorded use of this North American word was in 1821.
Vocabulary lists containing homebody
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Clairboyance
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
“It’s been very hard to decide to let it go. I’m a real sort-of homebody and creature of habit,” she shared.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
I’m such a homebody, so I typically work out at home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
She calls herself a "homebody" but still likes going to gigs and admitted the modelling story was a great ice-breaker at "awkward" interviews or even on dates.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
Among them was Miah Banks, a 26-year-old hairstylist and mother of one from Azusa who eschewed her usual homebody nature to ring in the infant moments of 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
“She’s really fun, but she’s more of a homebody than you.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
A nation of former homebodies has become one of zealous and moneyed international travelers, infiltrating every cobblestoned corner of Europe and rapidly filling lesser-known destinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
I used to be when I was a kid, but now, unless we’re out on a date, my wife and I are homebodies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Targeting frequent travelers, the Bilt points may not be ideal for homebodies who spend mostly on groceries.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2025
If even a machine would rather lose itself in serialized fantasy than deal with other humans, doesn’t that mean the world’s homebodies and binge-watchers are on to something?
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
The world is full of homebodies, I suppose.
From Emma McChesney and Co. by Edna Ferber
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.
