dowdy
English
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dowdy¹
- /ˈdaʊdi/ UK, US
Sounds like doughty (in accents with flapping) · Rhymes with -aʊdi
Where it comes from
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".
adjective dowdier · dowdiest · daverdy
- Plain and unfashionable in style or dress.
- Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby. [...she was] a perfect saint amongst women, but so dreadfully dowdy that she reminded one of a badly bound hymn-book.
noun dowdies · daverdy
- A plain or shabby person. Besides these, however, and the determined dowdies, women who either do not understand dress, or who will not be troubled with it, there are certainly many who, while always anxious to appear to the best advantage, are not wealthy enough to do so […]
verb dowdies · dowdying · dowdied · daverdy
- To press the crust into the filling during baking, to allow the juices to caramelize on top. 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.
Dowdy²
Where it comes from
Variant of Dowd.
proper noun Dowdys
- A surname from Irish.
Translations
Every language
adj plain and unfashionable in style or dress
| Français | vieux jeu |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | schäbig, unelegant |
| Ελληνικά | κακοντυμένος kakontyménos |
| Русский | немо́дный nemódnyj, неэлега́нтный neelegántnyj, безвку́сный bezvkúsnyj |
adj lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby
| Español | desastrado |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | abgetragen, schäbig |
| Русский | неэлега́нтный neelegántnyj |
Talk about this word "dowdy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dowdy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dowdy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dowdy "dowdy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dowdy.Cite this
@misc{dowdy_2026,
title = {dowdy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dowdy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
