What does dowdy mean?

Definitions for dowdy
ˈdaʊ didowdy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word dowdy.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Dowding, Hugh Dowding, Baron Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, Dowdynoun

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

  2. dowdy, pandowdyadjective

    deep-dish apple dessert covered with a rich crust

  3. dowdyadjective

    lacking in smartness or taste

    "a dowdy grey outfit"; "a clean and sunny but completely dowdy room"

  4. dowdy, frumpy, frumpishadjective

    primly out of date

    "nothing so frumpish as last year's gambling game"

Wiktionary

  1. dowdyadjective

    Plain and unfashionable in style or dress.

  2. dowdyadjective

    Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby.

  3. Etymology: Late 16th century. Origin uncertain: probably literally “little poorly dressed woman,” formed from doue “poorly dressed woman.”

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Dowdynoun

    An aukward, ill-dressed, inelegant woman.

    Laura, to his lady, was but a kitchen wench; Dido, a dowdy; Cleopatra, a gipsy; Helen and Hero, slidings and harlots. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

    The bedlam train of lovers use
    T’ inhance the value, and the faults excuse;
    And therefore ’tis no wonder if we see
    They doat on dowdies and deformity. Dryden.

    No houswifry the dowdy creature knew;
    To sum up all, her tongue confess’d the shrew. John Gay, Past.

Wikipedia

  1. Dowdy

    Dowdy is a surname.

ChatGPT

  1. dowdy

    Dowdy refers to someone, often a woman, who is unfashionably and unattractively dressed or styled. It can also refer to anything that is outdated, old-fashioned or not stylish.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Dowdy

    showing a vulgar taste in dress; awkward and slovenly in dress; vulgar-looking

  2. Dowdynoun

    an awkward, vulgarly dressed, inelegant woman

  3. Etymology: [Scot. dawdie slovenly, daw, da sluggard, drab, Prov. E. dowd flat, dead.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Dowdy

    dow′di, adj. untidy, carelessly dressed, soft and slack in habit.—n. an untidy woman.—adv. Dow′dily.—ns. Dow′diness, Dow′dyism.—adj. Dow′dyish. [Ety. unknown.]

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. DOWDY

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dowdy is ranked #2678 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Dowdy surname appeared 13,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 would have the surname Dowdy.

    77.1% or 10,391 total occurrences were White.
    17.5% or 2,369 total occurrences were Black.
    2% or 281 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    2% or 277 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.8% or 116 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    0.2% or 34 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of dowdy in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of dowdy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Popularity rank by frequency of use

dowdy#10000#75681#100000

Translations for dowdy

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"dowdy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/dowdy>.

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    pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
    A greedy
    B reassuring
    C occasional
    D handsome

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