What does blowsy mean?
Blowsy is an adjective describing two related states of being past one's best. Applied to people, especially women, it suggests a reddened, coarse complexion and an untidy, slovenly appearance — often as though from drinking or rough living. Applied to flowers, it describes blooms that have become overblown, faded, or drooping, shedding petals as they fade. The word has a long history in English descriptive writing, appearing frequently in nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction and garden writing, and it retains a slightly literary flavour today. When used of people it tends to be mildly pejorative, so writers deploy it deliberately for vivid, unflattering characterisation; gardeners, by contrast, may use the flower sense almost tenderly. A useful word whenever you need to evoke weathered faces or tired petals with a single stroke.
(Of a person) having a reddened, coarse, or untidy complexion and an unkempt appearance.
"The landlady was a blowsy woman who greeted them with a gin in hand."
Usually applied to women; mildly derogatory.
(Of flowers) overblown, faded, or drooping past their best.
"By late July the blowsy hollyhocks leaned against the fence."
A word that can insult both your face and your flowerbed at once.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blowsy
Blowsy arose in English, probably in the seventeenth century, as a variant of the earlier word blowzy, which itself derives from 'blow' in its older sense of blooming or flowering — hence 'full-blown' flowers that are past their prime. The sense extended from overblown blooms to describe people with red, coarse complexions, evoking a face flushed as if swollen by wind or drink. The spelling blowsy gradually displaced blowzy as the standard form.
Related word forms
How blowsy is actually used
Chiefly literary or descriptive prose rather than everyday speech; often carries a slightly unflattering or pejorative tone when describing people. The flower sense is affectionately used by gardeners to describe blooms past full freshness without harsh judgment.
Easily confused with blowsy
Blowzy is a near-synonym meaning coarsely ruddy or untidy; blowsy is the more common modern form and is also applied to overblown flowers.