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Milky Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
homely
Americans, what would be your reaction if a BrEng speaking visitor to your country described you wife/mother/sister as "homely"?
Top answer
" Then I'd have to calm down and hope it has a different meaning in England. S. ")
- " Then I'd have to calm down and hope it has a different meaning in England.
- S.
- ")
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13 Answers
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The part of me that reacts quickly would be thinking "You jerk!" Then I'd have to calm down and hope it has a different meaning in England.
(And for those reading this who wonder what it means, "homely" in the U.S. means "ugly.")
(And for those reading this who wonder what it means, "homely" in the U.S. means "ugly.")
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Grammar GeekThe part of me that reacts quickly would be thinking "You jerk!" Then I'd have to calm down and hope it has a different meaning in England.That's right.
(And for those reading this who wonder what it means, "homely" in the U.S. means "ugly.")
This is in my dictionary:
In England, it means "having a feelin
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And that would be "homey" in the U.S. His large office had a nice, homey feel to it, with two overstuffed chairs and a couch.
But note that Milky said it would be said of a female relative, not about your apartment, office, or house. Do you refer to people as "homely" or spaces?
But note that Milky said it would be said of a female relative, not about your apartment, office, or house. Do you refer to people as "homely" or spaces?
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GG,
Would you really say "homely" is "ugly"? I never got the impression it was that unattractive. I would have said somewhere between "plain" and "ugly" on the attractiveness scale.
Would you really say "homely" is "ugly"? I never got the impression it was that unattractive. I would have said somewhere between "plain" and "ugly" on the attractiveness scale.
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On the attractiveness scale, I think "homely" is much closer to meaning "ugly" than "plain". 
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Concise World Dictionary (it is a dictionary of Canadian English) defines 'homely' as not good-looking; plain.
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Yes, the BrE meaning is different. If a woman is homely it means she's attractive in an unpretentious way. You'd like to spend an evening by the fireside with her.
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I do not doubt that current AmE usage is currently as GG mentions, but the fact that the dictionaries have several meanings suggest that they were used ALL, once, not sure how long time ago. The fact that the angle/accent is now only on "ugliness" is a reflection of the world we live in, IMO.
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The majority of words and/or definitions of words in any "good" English dictionary are not in regular use. Many words only have specialized or historical usages. And Webster's Dictionary definitely includes words/definitions that are used primarily in BE. I'm in my 50s and for as long as I can remember, "homely" has been used to say that someone is "unattractive" (in AmE). This is nothin
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