homely
pronunciation
How to pronounce homely in British English:
UK [ˈhəʊmli]
How to pronounce homely in American English:
US [ˈhoʊmli]
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- Adjective:
- lacking in physical beauty or proportion
- having a feeling of home; cozy and comfortable
- plain and unpretentious
- without artificial refinement or elegance
Word Origin
- 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."
Synonym
Example
- 1. Their homely joys , and destiny obscure .
- 2. It was the type of homely and unpretentious food we had all grown up with , a portuguese-inspired dish from macao .
- 3. Have you ever seen anything so homely ?
- 4. Have you ever seen anything so homely ? I asked shirley .
- 5. A large part of palin 's political appeal rests on her reputation for being a homely " hockey mum " that could be tarnished by a public custody fight .