homey
1 Americanadjective
noun
plural
homeys, homiesadjective
noun
Usage
What does homey mean? Homey is used to describe a place as cozy, comfortable, and inviting. It’s often used to describe a home that feels this way. You might discuss ways of making your place (or a particular room in it) more homey, typically by decorating it in a way that makes it cozier or more comfortable. Homey can also be used to describe a place that’s not a home but that’s comfortable and inviting like your own home, such as a hotel room, cozy restaurant, or nicely decorated office. Example: The new fireplace makes the living room feel so homey. Unrelatedly, homey is an alternative spelling of the noun homie, which is a slang term for a close friend. It can be used to refer to a friend, as in This is my homey Russel, or as a term of address for one, as in Hey, homey!Example: I’m having a night out with just me and my homeys.
Related Words
See homely.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of homey1
First recorded in 1850–55; home + -y 1
Origin of homey2
First recorded in 1990–95
Vocabulary lists containing homey
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.
Repeat visitors like Sonny Baker, 53, of Boston, praised Horning for keeping the resort homey and the crowds a fraction of those elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
"Calgary, where I'm from, feels a little less like homey than LA," McRae said.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
The unit, estimated at around 500 square feet, feels homey and is situated in the garden of a classic Spanish home occupied by an elderly woman.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
Across cities like New York and London, that tradition has evolved into a modern kind of “rustic luxe”: homey duck confit and steak au poivre served under soft lighting and mismatched furniture.
From Salon • Oct. 18, 2025
“But I was really starting to get used to this place. Kinda homey, you know? We don’t have to leave, do we?”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
