Homely
Homely adjective - Unpleasant to look at.
Usage example: a vast family fortune can make even the homeliest of women seem like good marriage material
Plain is a synonym for homely in unattractive topic. In some cases you can use "Plain" instead the word "Homely" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like quality, property, ordinary, unsophisticated. popular alternative
Plain
Plain adjective - Free from all additions or embellishment.
Usage example: just give us the plain facts and none of your snide comments
Homely is a synonym for plain (North American) in ugly topic. You can use "Homely" instead an adjective "Plain", if it concerns topics such as quality, property, normal, ordinary. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- In the first three weeks of the show (the prologue period), Carlota looks plain and homely.
Source: Series / La Otra -
In "Gone with the Wind", Melanie Hamilton is described as plain and homely by everyone who encounters her, and she marries Ashley Wilkes, whose good looks are expounded upon more than once by the narrative and the main character, Scarlett O'Hara.
Source: Hot Guy, Ugly Wife -
Diabolik, and she has the Exemplar superpower, but she's isn't actually homely- she's plain, but compared to all the other Exemplars running around, she's incredibly ugly.
Cite this Source
Plain and Homely. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/homely/plain
Homely & Plain. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/homely/plain>.
Plain or Homely. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/homely/plain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "homely" and "plain" have occurred on timeline