Definition of Dowdy

1. Noun. British marshal of the RAF who commanded the British air defense forces that defeated the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain (1882-1970).


2. Adjective. Lacking in smartness or taste. "A clean and sunny but completely dowdy room"
Similar to: Styleless, Unstylish
Derivative terms: Dowdiness

3. Noun. Deep-dish apple dessert covered with a rich crust.
Exact synonyms: Pandowdy
Generic synonyms: Pastry

4. Adjective. Primly out of date. "Nothing so frumpish as last year's gambling game"
Exact synonyms: Frumpish, Frumpy
Similar to: Unfashionable, Unstylish
Derivative terms: Dowdiness, Frump

Definition of Dowdy

1. a. Showing a vulgar taste in dress; awkward and slovenly in dress; vulgar-looking.

2. n. An awkward, vulgarly dressed, inelegant woman.

Definition of Dowdy

1. Adjective. Plain and unfashionable in style or dress. ¹

2. Adjective. Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Dowdy

1. lacking in stylishness or neatness [adj DOWDIER, DOWDIEST] : DOWDILY [adv], DOWDYISH [adj] / a dowdy woman [n DOWDIES]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Dowdy

dowar
dowars
dowd
dowdier
dowdies
dowdiest
dowdified
dowdifies
dowdify
dowdifying
dowdily
dowdiness
dowdinesses
dowds
dowdy (current term)
dowdyish
dowdyism
dowdyisms
dowed
dowel
dowel pin
doweled
doweling
dowelled
dowelling
dowels
dower
dowered
doweries

Literary usage of Dowdy

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Nursery by Fanny P Seaverns, John L. Shorey (Firm (1873)
"In the street he takes delight, — In the street from morn till night: Don'tI tell the story right, Rowdy-dowdy, noisy sprite ? Rowdy-dowdy's full of fun; ..."

2. Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas by Andrew Jackson Sowell (1900)
"FOUR OF THE dowdy FAMILY KILLED. In 1878 a man named James dowdy moved to Kerr ... Mr. dowdy had a large flock of sheep, and had only been in his new home a ..."

3. A Thousand Days in the Arctic by Frederick George Jackson (1899)
"Only a few scattered lumps of ice could be seen in Cambridge Bay. Away at the head of it can plainly be seen ' A ROWDY-dowdy CREW - Cape Fridtjof Nansen, ..."

4. A Thousand Days in the Arctic by Frederick George Jackson (1899)
"... A ROWDY-dowdy CREW Cape Fridtjof Nansen, which, from this point, hides Cape Johan- sen. I had named these capes after my brother explorers and guests of ..."

5. Federal Immigration Law Enforcement in the Southwest: Civil Rights Impacts by John F. Dulles (1997)
"Mr. dowdy indicated that a March 1993 incident after the agreement was signed dealt with a situation that had not been addressed or foreseen in that ..."

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