homely

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(hōm') pronunciation
adj., -li·er, -li·est.
  1. Not attractive or good-looking: a homely child.
  2. Lacking elegance or refinement: homely furniture.
  3. Of a simple or unpretentious nature; plain: homely truths.
  4. Characteristic of the home or of home life: homely skills.
homeliness home'li·ness n.


The connotations of this word as applied to a person (usually a woman) are favourable in British English, in which it means 'simple, unpretentious' and disparaging in American English, in which it means 'unattractive, dowdy':
Homely and welcoming, owners Doug and Karen Richards have gone out of their way to ensure visitors are immediately put at their ease—Cornish Guardian, 2005
A homely woman with an apron on answers the door—A. Drai, American English 2002.

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adjective

  1. Not handsome or beautiful: plain, unattractive, uncomely, unlovely. Idioms: not much for looks, not much to look at, short on looks. See beautiful/ugly.
  2. Of a plain and unsophisticated nature: artless, homespun, natural, rustic, unadorned, unpolished. See plain/fancy.
  3. Of or relating to the family or household: domestic, familial, family, home, household. See kin, group.


adj

Definition: not beautiful, ordinary
Antonyms: attractive, beautiful, sophisticated

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'homely'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to homely, see:

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - hjemlig, hyggelig, dagligdags, beskeden

Nederlands (Dutch)
huiselijk, intiem, eenvoudig, alledaags, lelijk, onaantrekkelijk

Français (French)
adj. - (GB) accueillant (une atmosphère), (GB) sans prétention (un hôtel), simple (une personne), (US) sans attraits (une personne)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - einfach, häuslich, nicht sehr attraktiv, reizlos

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - απλός, ανεπιτήδευτος, (ΗΠΑ) (για ανθρώπους) άσχημος, σπιτικός, νοικοκυρίστικος, (μτφ.) ζεστός

Italiano (Italian)
scialbo, familiare

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - despretensioso, rústico, feio

Русский (Russian)
непритязательный, домашний, уютный, невзрачный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - feúcho, casero, doméstico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - enkel, vardaglig, huslig, hemtrevlig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
家常的, 丑陋的, 平凡的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 家常的, 醜陋的, 平凡的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 못생긴, 가정적인, 검소한, 흔한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - わが家のような, 家庭的な, 飾らない, 質素な, ありふれた, 不器量な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عائلي بهيج أو مريح أو بسيط, مألوف أو عادتي, عطوف, طبيعي أو غير متكلف, بسيط للطعام, غير مزخرف, بشع أو قبيح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮פשוט, משפחתי, ביתי, מכוער, לא רב-רושם, מיומנ/ת במלאכות הבית‬


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