What does frump mean?
A frump is a person judged to be dowdy, dull, or hopelessly unfashionable, especially in dress and personal presentation. The word is pejorative and, in contemporary usage, overwhelmingly applied to women, implying not just outdated clothes but a general air of drabness and disengagement from style or liveliness — one might say a once-glamorous actress had 'let herself go' and become a frump. The word's history is more colourful than its meaning suggests: it first appeared in English in the seventeenth century, when it referred to a bad temper or a sulk rather than to anyone's wardrobe, and the familiar appearance-based sense developed later. Its precise origin is uncertain. Derivatives include the widely used adjective 'frumpy' and, less commonly, 'frumpish'. Though blunt and potentially insulting, the word remains a vivid shorthand in fashion writing and everyday speech for unfashionable drabness.
A person, especially a woman, who is dull, dowdy, or unfashionable in dress or manner.
"The magazine mocked her as a frump for wearing last decade's hemlines."
Derogatory and predominantly applied to women.
(Archaic) A bad temper or a fit of sulking.
"She took a frump and would not come down to dinner."
Standard regular plural.
"The costume department dressed the extras up as frumps for the period drama."
The word 'frump' began life centuries ago as a term for a bad temper or a sulking fit — the dowdy-dresser sense only came later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of frump
The word 'frump' entered English in the seventeenth century, originally denoting a bad temper or a sulking fit — a meaning recorded in phrases like 'to take a frump'. Its origin is uncertain; lexicographers have suggested connections to other abrupt, expressive words such as 'grump' or 'flump', but no definitive source has been established. The modern sense of a dowdy, unfashionable person emerged later, becoming well established by the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How frump is actually used
Almost always derogatory and strongly gendered in modern use, applied far more often to women than to men; it carries connotations not merely of shabby clothing but of a joyless, out-of-touch persona. The older sense of a bad temper survives only in historical or dialectal contexts.
Easily confused with frump
Despite the shared sound-alike ending, 'trump' means either a playing card of the highest suit or (dated) an admirable person, whereas a frump is someone dowdy or unfashionable.