I. ˈdau̇dē, -di noun
( -es )
Etymology: dowd + -y (diminutive suffix)
1. : a dowdy woman
2. : pandowdy
II. adjective
( -er/-est )
1. of feminine appearance or apparel : lacking neatness and charm ; often : slovenly or slatternly : untidily shabby
an old woman bedraggled and dowdy
a dowdy gray dress
2.
a. : lacking in smartness or taste
a clean sunny but completely dowdy room
expensive dowdy country tweeds
b. : not modern in style : old-fashioned : out of date
two dowdy meandering novelettes — New Yorker
Synonyms: see slatternly