dowdy
dowdy Lexical Profile
dowdy Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Unfashionable, dull, and unattractive in appearance or dress (typically used of a woman or her clothes).
"She traded her dowdy wool cardigan for a tailored blazer before heading into the interview."
• noun
A woman who is unfashionably or shabbily dressed.
"The novel's protagonist begins the story as a self-conscious dowdy before discovering her own sense of style."
American A traditional deep-dish fruit dessert, typically made with spiced apples and a sweetened crust that is broken into the fruit while baking (as in pandowdy).
"For dessert, the New England inn served a warm apple dowdy topped with vanilla ice cream."
• Rhymes for dowdy
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in the late 16th century, 'dowdy' derives from the Middle English noun 'dowd', meaning a shabby or unattractive woman, with the addition of the adjectival suffix '-y'.