Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Not attractive or good-looking.
- adjective Lacking elegance or refinement.
- adjective Of a simple or unpretentious nature; plain.
- adjective Characteristic of the home or of home life.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Familiarly; plainly; rudely; simply; coarsely.
- Of or belonging to home or the household; domestic.
- Familiar; intimate.
- Of domestic character or quality; hence, simple; plain; rude; coarse; not fine or elegant: as, a homely garment; a homely house; homely fare.
- Plain; without particular beauty of features, form, or color: as, a homely face.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Archaic Belonging to, or having the characteristics of, home; domestic; familiar; intimate.
- adjective Plain; unpretending; rude in appearance; unpolished
- adjective Of plain or coarse features; uncomely; ugly; -- usually used of people, especially women; -- contrary to
handsome . - adverb rare Plainly; rudely; coarsely.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective US
Lacking inbeauty orelegance ,plain in appearance, physically unattractive. - adjective
Proficient inskills needed to maintain a home (seehomemaker ).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective without artificial refinement or elegance
- adjective having a feeling of home; cozy and comfortable
- adjective lacking in physical beauty or proportion
- adjective plain and unpretentious
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Buncombe was delighted to encounter a sea-faring friend, and insisted on taking George Jernam down to River View Cottage to eat what he called a homely bit of dinner.
Run to Earth A Novel 1875
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In the book, Winifred is plain -- homely, even -- but bright, talented, hard-working, and explicitly a very nice girl.
mrissa: They'll put it on my tombstone: "The book was better." mrissa 2010
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Yet despite the fact that he was often referred to as homely or even ugly, Maureen was struck by how absolutely beautiful he was.
The Poet Prince KATHLEEN MCGOWAN 2010
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Scott started to confide in a woman he worked with, a woman he describes as homely, someone he could safely talk to without the risk of straying.
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In earlier days it had certainly been better kept; it now looked like any of the other Yugoslavian spas, which are patronized by the peasants and small shopkeepers, and showed a certain homely untidiness, though nothing worse.
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In earlier days it had certainly been better kept; it now looked like any of the other Yugoslavian spas, which are patronized by the peasants and small shopkeepers, and showed a certain homely untidiness, though nothing worse.
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In earlier days it had certainly been better kept; it now looked like any of the other Yugoslavian spas, which are patronized by the peasants and small shopkeepers, and showed a certain homely untidiness, though nothing worse.
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In earlier days it had certainly been better kept; it now looked like any of the other Yugoslavian spas, which are patronized by the peasants and small shopkeepers, and showed a certain homely untidiness, though nothing worse.
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Hayyim the Glazier is reputed to have been a man of fine countenance, wise in homely counsel, honest in all his dealings.
The Promised Land 1912
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You have got to where the word homely preserves its true signification, and is no longer a term of disparagement, but expressive of a cardinal virtue.
Winter Sunshine John Burroughs 1879
slumry commented on the word homely
I like this word in the sense of unpretentious, but it is easily misunderstood.
July 22, 2007
madmouth commented on the word homely
may take a turn as humly in literature's provincial dialects
May 29, 2009
fbharjo commented on the word homely
In the sense of its 14th century usage - at ease, comfortable
March 2, 2014