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Synonyms
homely
- 5 dictionary resultshome⋅ly
[hohm-lee] 
li
–adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est.
| 1. | lacking in physical attractiveness; not beautiful; unattractive: a homely child. |
| 2. | not having elegance, refinement, or cultivation. |
| 3. | proper or suited to the home or to ordinary domestic life; plain; unpretentious: homely food. |
| 4. | commonly seen or known. |
Related forms:
home⋅li⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1, 2, 3. Simple, homely (homey), homelike, plain imply absence of adornment or embellishment. Something that is simple is not elaborate or complex: a simple kind of dress. In the United States, homely usually suggests absence of natural beauty: an unattractive person almost homely enough to be called ugly. In England, the word suggests a wholesome simplicity without artificial refinement or elegance; since it characterizes that which is comfortable and attractive, it is equivalent to homey: a homely cottage. Homelike also emphasizes comfort and attractiveness, but it conveys less strongly than does homey a sense of intimate security: a homelike interior, arrangement, atmosphere. Something that is plain has little or no adornment: expensive but plain clothing.
1, 2, 3. Simple, homely (homey), homelike, plain imply absence of adornment or embellishment. Something that is simple is not elaborate or complex: a simple kind of dress. In the United States, homely usually suggests absence of natural beauty: an unattractive person almost homely enough to be called ugly. In England, the word suggests a wholesome simplicity without artificial refinement or elegance; since it characterizes that which is comfortable and attractive, it is equivalent to homey: a homely cottage. Homelike also emphasizes comfort and attractiveness, but it conveys less strongly than does homey a sense of intimate security: a homelike interior, arrangement, atmosphere. Something that is plain has little or no adornment: expensive but plain clothing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To homely
| home·ly (hōm'lē) adj. home·li·er, home·li·est
|
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Homely
Home"ly\, a. [Compar. Homelier; superl. Homeliest.] [From Home, n.]1. Belonging to, or having the characteristics of, home; domestic; familiar; intimate. [Archaic] With all these men I was right homely, and communed with, them long and oft. --Foxe. Their homely joys, and destiny obscure. --Gray. 2. Plain; unpretending; rude in appearance; unpolished; as, a homely garment; a homely house; homely fare; homely manners. Now Strephon daily entertains His Chloe in the homeliest strains. --Pope. 3. Of plain or coarse features; uncomely; -- contrary to handsome. None so homely but loves a looking-glass. --South.Homely
Home"ly\, adv. Plainly; rudely; coarsely; as, homely dressed. [R.] --Spenser.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : homely
Spanish:
casero,
German:
hausbacken,
Japanese:
素朴な
homely
c.1300, "of or belonging to home or household, domestic," from M.E. hom "home." Sense of "plain, unadorned, simple" is c.1380, and extension to "having a plain appearance" took place before 1400, but now survives chiefly in U.S., esp. in New England, where it is the usual term for "physically unattractive;" ugly being typically "ill-tempered."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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