Frowsy

//ˈfɹaʊ.zi// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having a dingy, neglected, and scruffy appearance.

    "And then, ſo nice, and ſo genteel; / Such Cleanlineſs from Head to Heel: / No Humours groſs, or frowzy Steams, / No noiſom Whiffs, or ſweaty Streams, / Before, behind, above, below, / Could from her taintleſs Body flow."

Adjective
  1. 1
    negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
airlessbedraggledblastedblightedblownblowsy

Example

More examples

"And then, ſo nice, and ſo genteel; / Such Cleanlineſs from Head to Heel: / No Humours groſs, or frowzy Steams, / No noiſom Whiffs, or ſweaty Streams, / Before, behind, above, below, / Could from her taintleſs Body flow."

Etymology

Unknown, but perhaps related to the dialectal adjective frowsty. Attested since the 1680s.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.