What does blowsiest mean?
"Blowsiest" is the superlative of "blowsy," an adjective describing someone — traditionally a woman — who looks red-faced, flushed, and untidy, often with the suggestion of having had too much to drink. A blowsy face is ruddy and slack, a blowsy figure carelessly dressed, so to be the blowsiest person present is to be the most rumpled and disreputable-looking of all. The word is also applied to flowers, where it means overblown: petals fading, drooping, and past their prime. Chiefly British and somewhat literary in flavor, "blowsy" derives from the old slang term "blowze," meaning a ruddy-cheeked country girl, and has carried its hint of rustic coarseness since at least the seventeenth century. Though mildly derogatory when applied to people, it is a wonderfully precise word for describing weathered faces and faded blooms alike, offering writers a vivid alternative to plainer terms like "untidy" or "worn out."
adjectiveThe superlative form of "blowsy": most untidy, disheveled, or coarse in appearance — especially of a woman looking flushed, red-faced, and slovenly, often as if from drink; also used of flowers that have become overblown and ragged.
- (of a person, especially a woman) most red-faced, flushed, and untidy in appearance, often suggesting drunkenness or coarseness.
- (of flowers or plants) most overblown, faded, and bedraggled past their best.
"After hours in the pub she was at her blowsiest, hair astray and cheeks flushed crimson."
"By midnight the party's hostess had grown ever blowsier, until she was positively the blowsiest woman in the room."
"The roses in the neglected border were the blowsiest I had seen all summer, their petals browning and drooping."
"Blowsiest" comes from "blowze," an old slang word for a ruddy-faced country wench — so the word has been describing rosy, rumpled looks for centuries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blowsiest
"Blowsy" (and thus "blowsiest") derives from "blowze," an English slang word recorded by the early seventeenth century for a ruddy-faced, robust country girl or wench. The further origin of "blowze" is uncertain, though it may relate to dialect words for a bloated or swollen appearance. From this sense of a coarse, flushed rustic woman, "blowsy" developed into a general adjective for a red-faced, untidy look, later extended to describe overblown flowers.
Related word forms
How blowsiest is actually used
"Blowsy" is chiefly British and somewhat dated or literary; its comparative and superlative forms appear mainly in informal or descriptive prose. When applied to women it carries a mildly derogatory connotation of coarseness or drink-flushed slovenliness; when applied to flowers it is more neutral, simply meaning past full bloom.
Easily confused with blowsiest
"Blowy" means windy or breezy, while "blowsiest" describes an untidy, flushed, or overblown appearance.