Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Dull or plain.
  • adjective Prim and sedate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Cross-tempered; cross-grained; scornful.
  • Old-fashioned, as applied to dress; dowdy. Also frumpy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Cross-tempered; scornful.
  • adjective Old-fashioned, as a woman's dress.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Poorly dressed; wearing drab, lifeless, ill-fitting clothing. More typically used to describe women than men.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective primly out of date

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

frump +‎ -ish

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word frumpish.

Examples

  • She held her head very high indeed, and would not speak to this doll because it was "frumpish," or that doll because it was not in the same set as herself.

    Adventures in Toyland What the Marionette Told Molly Edith King Hall

  • Otherwise it would become too / ladylike and frumpish / for me.

    Archive 2009-05-01 David McDuff 2009

  • Anna could see there was a thick grey line in her parting; now, the hippy style made her look old-fashioned, almost frumpish.

    Deadly Intent Lynda La Plante 2008

  • Gradually, he passed, and Bingham looked deeply into the near distance, away from the man, as if he were watching for something specific, and had been before the man and his brown-haired, frumpish nurse came into his sight.

    Free Time 2008

  • Gradually, he passed, and Bingham looked deeply into the near distance, away from the man, as if he were watching for something specific, and had been before the man and his brown-haired, frumpish nurse came into his sight.

    Free Time 2008

  • Anna could see there was a thick grey line in her parting; now, the hippy style made her look old-fashioned, almost frumpish.

    Deadly Intent Lynda La Plante 2008

  • Or is it because you are an incompetent frumpish hysterical female, wholly out of her depth, who instead of acting in a civilised manner as one would expect from someone in your position, instead gives lectures which are downright rude, pig-headedly arrogant and most unladylike?

    OpEdNews - Diary: Pravda Hammers Condoleeza Rice 2008

  • In fact, as the lamb and red wine were served, my first impression of Blairand of his wife, Cherie, who was then very much in her slightly frumpish, pre-designer periodwas that they were bright, articulate, personable.

    A Question of Honour Lord Michael Levy 2008

  • He also wants to explore Muskie's private life, and is disappointed when aide John Ehrlichman tells Nixon that Muskie is "" very cloistered, very frumpish. ''

    And Now, 'Tricky Dick' 2008

  • Anna could see there was a thick grey line in her parting; now, the hippy style made her look old-fashioned, almost frumpish.

    Deadly Intent Lynda La Plante 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.