How to Use dowdy in a Sentence

dowdy

adjective
  • She played a dowdy old woman in the film.
  • In all the old movies the ministers’ wives are kind of dowdy and stodgy.
    — Lilly Price, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2023
  • The trade-off is dowdy manners on back roads, where the body is controlled but floaty.
    — Sam Smith, Car and Driver, 24 July 2023
  • Reed was not the typical dowdy or frumpy critic.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • There are lace blouses and prim skirts, there are pearl earrings and a dowdy updo.
    — Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Nov. 2022
  • Chintzy fabrics, chafing seams and dowdy designs have no place in your wardrobe.
    — Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 16 Nov. 2022
  • In darker colors, this outfit would look dowdy, but our man here has got his shades just right.
    — Aleks Cvetkovic, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Meanwhile, the cutout neckline and darted bodice prevent it from being dowdy.
    — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Like sparks igniting, the result is a piece that feels alive with energy rather than a dowdy relic of the past.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 17 May 2026
  • Maybe your powder room has a case of The Sads, with dowdy wallpaper and a timeworn faucet.
    — Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, House Beautiful, 1 Apr. 2021
  • The dowdy and shy Ursula is diabetic and has lost her eyesight in one eye.
    — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 15 May 2025
  • Defense leaders have sat on their hands, refusing to acknowledge the need for dowdy, run-of-the-mill tankers.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Like a rushee with a dowdy demeanor, a quirky personality and an empty bank account.
    — John Archibald | [email protected], al, 26 Jan. 2023
  • Machi plays a dowdy tax inspector closing in on a Shakira-style Latina singer for tax fraud.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 15 May 2025
  • Nissan's new crossover EV aims to make a stronger statement than the brand's dowdy Leaf hatchback.
    — Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 10 Oct. 2022
  • The sustainable jeans of recent years have often felt a little stiff, a little dowdy, a little ’90s.
    — Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2021
  • Finally, with the blessings of his equally wealthy and famous sons, the famous, wealthy man reconnects with the dowdy girl and asks her to marry him.
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022
  • In some dowdy sectors, though, a bit more corporate activity to shine a spotlight on assets that do tick investors’ boxes could help to turn the tide.
    — Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, 24 Dec. 2021
  • Catherine is often portrayed as a dowdy, overly pious, stubborn old woman who refused to yield her position for the good of the kingdom.
    — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Oct. 2020
  • The hammer appears also to have a hairdressing function, transforming Jane’s dowdy brown mop into kicky blond curls.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2022
  • Until Raisa came on the world stage, most wives of Soviet leaders were dowdy matrons, confined to the shadows of public life.
    — Jill Dougherty, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022
  • Usually, cars in this class are dowdy and inconspicuous — just check out a 2016 Sentra.
    — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 12 Mar. 2022
  • The jiggly snack’s logo and packaging are getting a whole new look, their first in a decade, as owner Kraft Heinz looks to revitalize the dowdy brand.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 27 July 2023
  • Chris Hemsworth, then, almost as good-looking as GNev himself, with his slightly dowdy brother Luke cast as good old Phil.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Bonus points for Sarah Sherman’s dowdy character, who accidentally got on the Epstein list.
    — Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
  • But something about the work’s improbable balancing act—the small dowdy base exerting enough gravity to keep the rest airborne—breathes energy into the air around it.
    — Susan Tallman, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2025
  • A certain jadedness may be forgiven the modern child, who is growing up amid sensory dazzlements that can make real life seem dowdy in comparison.
    — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 16 June 2023
  • Despite the outgoing Tucson's dowdy looks, that compact crossover was Hyundai's bestselling model worldwide.
    — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 11 June 2021
  • The costumes and styling are almost comically dowdy, with Biel in a tight perm and Lynskey enduring possibly the world’s least flattering set of bangs.
    — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2022
  • RoseMarie Terenzio, John’s hip and competent assistant, returns for a brief cameo, looking even more dowdy and ridiculous.
    — Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dowdy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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