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homely
[ hohm-lee ]
/ ˈhoʊm li /
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adjective, home·li·er, home·li·est.
lacking in physical attractiveness; not beautiful; unattractive: a homely child.
not having elegance, refinement, or cultivation.
proper or suited to the home or to ordinary domestic life; plain; unpretentious: homely food.
commonly seen or known.
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Origin of homely
synonym study for homely
1-3. Simple, homely ( homey ), homelike, plain imply absence of adornment or embellishment. Something that is simple is not elaborate or complex: a simple kind of dress. In the United States, homely usually suggests absence of natural beauty: an unattractive person almost homely enough to be called ugly. In England, the word suggests a wholesome simplicity without artificial refinement or elegance; since it characterizes that which is comfortable and attractive, it is equivalent to homey : a homely cottage. Homelike also emphasizes comfort and attractiveness, but it conveys less strongly than does homey a sense of intimate security: a homelike interior, arrangement, atmosphere. Something that is plain has little or no adornment: expensive but plain clothing.
OTHER WORDS FROM homely
Words nearby homely
homelands movement, homeless, homelessness, homelike, home loan, homely, homemade, homemaker, homemaking, home mission, homeo-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use homely in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for homely
homely
/ (ˈhəʊmlɪ) /
adjective -lier or -liest
characteristic of or suited to the ordinary home; unpretentious
(of a person)
- British warm and domesticated in manner or appearance
- mainly US and Canadian plain or ugly
Derived forms of homely
homeliness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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