homely [hohm-lee] ExamplesWord Origin 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 First recorded in 1300–50, homely is from the Middle English word homly. See home, -ly Related formshome·li·ness, nouno·ver·home·li·ness, nouno·ver·home·ly, adjectiveun·home·li·ness, nounun·home·ly, adjectiveCan be confusedhomely homeyhomely homilySynonym study 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. Related Words for homeliest comfy, cozy, domestic, everyday, familiar, friendly, homespun, homey, informal, modest, natural, plain, simple, snug, unaffected, unassuming, unpretentious, unostentatious, welcoming, homelike Examples from the Web for homeliest Historical Examples of homeliest
My dear, I protest, I think it was the homeliest of the whole.
Royall Tyler
Has it any connexion with a word of our homeliest vernacular?
Richard Chevenix Trench
For example, the notion that the homeliest girl in the party is the safest.
H. L. Mencken
I used to think Airedales was about the homeliest dogs on the list.
Sewell Ford
They did not disdain the homeliest means, if it served the purpose.
James Stalker
British Dictionary definitions for homeliest homely adjective -lier or -liest
- characteristic of or suited to the ordinary home; unpretentious
- (of a person)
- Britishwarm and domesticated in manner or appearance
- mainly US and Canadianplain or ugly
Derived Formshomeliness, noun Word Origin and History for homeliest homely adj.
late 14c., “of or belonging to home or household, domestic,” from Middle English hom “home” (see home (n.)) + -ly (2). Sense of “plain, unadorned, simple” is late 14c., and extension to “having a plain appearance, ugly, crude” took place c.1400, but now survives chiefly in U.S., especially in New England, where it was the usual term for “physically unattractive;” ugly being typically “ill-tempered.”