homely
[ hohm-lee ]
/ ˈhoʊm li /
adjective, home·li·er, home·li·est.
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
synonym study for homely
1–3.
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM homely
Words nearby homely
homeland,
homeland security,
homelands movement,
homeless,
homelike,
homely,
homemade,
homemaker,
homemaking,
homeo-,
homeobox
Example sentences from the Web for homeliness
British Dictionary definitions for homeliness
homely
/ (ˈhəʊmlɪ) /
adjective -lier or -liest
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