mumsy

[muhm-zee]

noun

1. mother.

adjective

1. drab or dowdy; unfashionable.

   a mumsy overcoat.

mumsy

/ ˈmʌmzɪ /

adjective

1. out of fashion; homely or drab

Word History and Origins

Origin of mumsy¹

mum ⁴ ( def. ) + -sy ( def. ); mumsy def. 1 was first recorded in 1875–80; mumsy def. 2 was first recorded in 1960–65.

Example Sentences

"When I think of strength, that's who I think about - mumsy. Whenever we stray off the path, there's a voice that guides us back and that voice for me is my mum's."

Read more on BBC

Riccardo Tisci at Burberry finally found his lane, something that cannot be easy for a designer who thinks like an architect and yet is employed by a global conglomerate with a bottom line built on trench coats and mumsy plaid scarfs.

Read more on New York Times

Over at Harper’s Bazaar, the perennial runner-up of American fashion magazines, where Mr. Gan had a second job as its creative director from 2001 until 2018, Glenda Bailey, the editor in chief, long positioned herself externally as the so-called nice editor, parlaying her Mancunian accent and bustling manner into a mumsy image.

Read more on New York Times

Probably not, but it’s an excuse to needle drop the sound of mumsy acid wash denim.

Read more on The Guardian

Indeed, for each silver-haired model with sharp cheekbones and a long, lean body that designers put on the runway or venerate in an advertising campaign or on the red carpet, they articulate countless cautions against “old lady” style, or ensembles looking too “mother-of-the-bride” or “mumsy” — all of which land like a thousand paper cuts.

Read more on Washington Post

Related Words

• grandmother 
• mommy 
• parent