ugly
Americanadjective
-
very unattractive or unpleasant to look at; offensive to the sense of beauty; displeasing in appearance.
- Synonyms:
- homely, unlovely, unsightly, uncomely, hard-featured, ill-favored
- Antonyms:
- beautiful
-
disagreeable; unpleasant; objectionable.
ugly tricks;
ugly discords.
-
morally revolting.
ugly crime.
-
threatening trouble or danger.
ugly symptoms.
- Synonyms:
- ominous, disadvantageous
-
mean; hostile; quarrelsome.
an ugly mood;
an ugly frame of mind.
-
(especially of natural phenomena) unpleasant or dangerous.
ugly weather;
an ugly sea.
- Synonyms:
- tempestuous, stormy
adjective
-
of unpleasant or unsightly appearance
-
repulsive, objectionable, or displeasing in any way
war is ugly
-
ominous or menacing
an ugly situation
-
bad-tempered, angry, or sullen
an ugly mood
Other Word Forms
- superugly adjective
- uglily adverb
- ugliness noun
Etymology
Origin of ugly
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English ugly, uglike, from Old Norse uggligr “fearful, dreadful,” equivalent to ugg(r) “fear” + -ligr -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Did you think I would manage an ugly hotel?”
From Literature
"If you want to challenge for titles and win leagues, you have to win ugly, and Hearts did that tonight," former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew told Premier Sports.
From BBC
A building once described as "Britain's ugliest" has been granted Grade II listed status, ending a 35‑year campaign to secure protection for one of London's Brutalist landmarks.
From BBC
When the Seahawks beat the Patriots 29-13, it validated the ugly divorce with a franchise icon that rebuilt the foundation of the franchise.
There may come a day, and I don’t look forward to it, when Alexander Skarsgård gets hungry for an Oscar and tries to make himself ugly.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
