adjective
dowdy
DOW-dee/ˈdaʊdi/
Unfashionable and unattractive in appearance.
The dated, ill-fitting clothes give the costume a dowdy appearance.
Etymology
The adjective likely developed from a noun for an ill-dressed, inelegant woman. Its emphasis shifted from shabby dress toward being unfashionable or lacking style.
In context
… as she walked along, a prim, dowdy little figure in her shabby raincoat …
More examples
- She replaced the dowdy curtains with a simpler design.
- The costume deliberately made the elegant actor look dowdy.
- He thought the room's faded furnishings were dowdy.
Forms
dowdy · dowdier · dowdiest
Similar words
- frumpy
- Both criticize an unfashionable appearance; frumpy is more colloquial.
- shabby
- Shabby suggests wear or poor condition; dowdy can be neat but unstylish.