Homely vs Homey

Homely vs Homey  

Don't say homely to an American. You should read the post to know why.

Homely meaning (Adj.)
The meaning of Homely get changed according to different aspects.

• If you use it for a place that means the place that make you feel as if you were in your own home, you feel comfortable is a homely place.
• when refering to cooking, a homely cooking is simple and good, like home food.
• when you use it for a woman, a homely woman is warm and friendly and enjoying the pleasures of home and family.
• In America especially, homely is used for a person who is not attractive.

1. My room is homely and comfy, with room-length windows that allow in sunlight and a desk for me to do what i do best.
2. We are used to homely cooking, and we love it.
3. His landlady was a kind, homely woman.
4. He was a homely looking man with a red book in his hand. (plain looking)

Homey meaning (N/Adj.)
It is also written as homie or homy.

• If you describe a room or house as homey, you like it because you feel comfortable and relaxed there.

1. My room was bright, cozy and homy.
2. She raised a fold of the gown and breathed in rapturously that homy perfume.

Differences between Homely and Homey
You have seen that homely and homey refer to the same thing when it comes to mean "homelike"; however, one is used in British english and second, American english.
Britishers use homely to mean "cozy and homelike" whereas Americans use homey.
In British English, homely means "simple, informal" whereas in American English homely means plain and unattractive.

According to Bryan A. Garner:

These two words have undergone differentiation. Homey means "characteristic of a home; homelike" Homely originally shared this sense, but it gradually was extended to mean "simple, unpretentious." From there, the word was extended further to the sense that is prevalent in America but not in British today: unattractive in appearance; plain.

Words From vocabeasy
Homely and homey are originated from the word home. Both of them mean homelike feeling. 
Other than homelike, a homely person is more gentle than ugly and less gentle than attractive.
A homely woman looks like a housewife.

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