dowdy means plain and unfashionable in style or dress. It carries an Arena rating of 1611, earned across 30 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, dowdy ranks #1,913 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,369 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,026 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #4,037 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
dowdy is pronounced /ˈdaʊdi/.
Why “dowdy” is a great word
DOWDY — [Adjective] Plain and unfashionable in style or dress, often implying a shabby or unkempt appearance. First appears c. 1581. Origin uncertain, probably from 'doude' (an unattractive or poorly dressed woman) of unknown origin, with the suffix -y. Possibly related to Scots 'dow' (to fade). Unlike "unadorned," which can be a deliberate aesthetic of purity, or "frumpy," which implies a settled, matronly neglect, dowdy suggests a general, faded shabbiness. It is the colour of a dress washed to a memory of its former hue, the limp drape of a curtain that has forgotten sunlight, and the faint, clinging scent of mothballs—a quiet testament to the slow, practical fading of things, where even time loses interest.
Etymology
First appears c. 1581. Origin uncertain, probably literally "little poorly dressed woman," formed from doue, "poorly dressed woman". Possibly also related to the Scots dow, meaning to "fade".
adj
- Plain and unfashionable in style or dress.
- Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby.e.g.“[...she was] a perfect saint amongst women, but so dreadfully dowdy that she reminded one of a badly bound hymn-book.” — 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC:
name
- A surname from Irish.
noun
- A plain or shabby person.
verb
- To press the crust into the filling during baking, to allow the juices to caramelize on top.e.g.“Topping the apples with squares of dough allowed steam to escape during baking, preventing the apples from overcooking. Dowdying the crust partway through created the dessert's sweet finish.” — 2021, America's Test Kitchen, The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook, page 743:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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