ugly
Americanadjective
-
uglier,
comparative
-
ugliest
superlative
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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
Explanation
Ugly means "extremely unattractive." On Halloween, some people wear ugly masks as part of their scary costumes. Anything that looks or feels quite unpleasant is ugly. The adjective ugly can describe the way something or someone looks, but it can also describe behavior or actions — the ugly scene your little brother made at the toy store when he didn't get what he wanted or the ugly breakup of a friendship. Remember that when ugly becomes uglier and ugliest, the y becomes an i.
Vocabulary lists containing ugly
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.
See Examples For:
“This is not an ugly divorce,” she continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Whether you’re flirting or trying to make friends, it’s easier to exist in places where you’re not thought of as inherently ugly.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Labour MP for South West Norfolk, Terry Jermy, said the "ugly scenes in Thetford over the past few days have been difficult to watch and are deeply concerning".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Misguided laws direct money to outside groups, which find ugly messages easier than positive ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The chupacabras’s mordida had left three ugly lacerations two inches above her ankle, on the outside of her leg, so both her ankle and calf were swollen to twice their normal size.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
But uglier nooks are frozen in time as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Things looked uglier when looking at the full week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Here’s where silver gets uglier than rare earths.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
Things are turning uglier by the week for West Ham.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
The others were as choice a lot of mercenaries as ever graced a dungeon, each uglier than the last.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
I have the ugliest lawn in my neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Can we touch on the name of your special “Ugly Baby”? Who’s the ugliest baby you’ve ever seen?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
"If you want to see how safe El Salvador is, go to the ugliest, darkest place, sit on a rock, and wait for dawn," the president boasts.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
The pair clearly reinforce each other’s ugliest tendencies.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
That sun-faded, rust-spattered bike was the ugliest, most perfect thing anyone had ever given me.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
