homely
lacking in physical attractiveness; not beautiful; unattractive: a homely child.
not having elegance, refinement, or cultivation.
proper or suited to the home or to ordinary domestic life; plain; unpretentious: homely food.
commonly seen or known.
Origin of homely
1synonym study For homely
Other words from homely
- home·li·ness, noun
- o·ver·home·li·ness, noun
- o·ver·home·ly, adjective
- un·home·li·ness, noun
- un·home·ly, adjective
Words that may be confused with homely
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use homely in a sentence
The magic of the building has more to do with its homely approachability than its size or magnificence.
The danger of right-wing mobs is real. Fencing at the U.S. Capitol won’t help. | Philip Kennicott | February 1, 2021 | Washington PostNot a euphemism for homeliness, mind; the new faces are all lavishly hot.
United Colors of Benetton Features Transgender Model Lea T, Alek Wek | Tracy McNicoll | January 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere should be an air of homeliness and open hospitality about the place.
The Complete Bachelor | Walter GermainAngrily she sneered at the simple homeliness of the old German custom.
A German Pompadour | Marie HayOdd people, these Scotch folks; but there is a homeliness and a reverence about them which we greatly value.
Solomon Maimon: An Autobiography. | Solomon Maimon
They wondered I could deign to speak anything but French, and concluded I did so only out of compliment to their homeliness.
The Late Miss Hollingford | Rosa MulhollandOn a mind such as his, outward things have small effect; otherwise the cheerful homeliness of the scene must have soothed him.
The Long Night | Stanley Weyman
British Dictionary definitions for homely
/ (ˈhəʊmlɪ) /
characteristic of or suited to the ordinary home; unpretentious
(of a person)
British warm and domesticated in manner or appearance
mainly US and Canadian plain or ugly
Derived forms of homely
- homeliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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