rear its ugly head

Idioms

Appear. This phrase is used only of something undesirable or unpleasant, as in The interview went very well until a question about his academic record reared its ugly head. This expression was first recorded in slightly different form in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers (1857): “Rebellion had already reared her hideous head.”

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.

"We are in contact with the Jewish community and local authorities," Saar said on X. "Antisemitism must never be allowed to rear its ugly head."

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

But let's also acknowledge far too often in our country, hatred continues to rear its ugly head.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2024

And this one, of course it was this one, where we all may have seen the truth rear its ugly head.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2024

Working in homelessness, Reynolds said, “Every obstacle will rear its ugly head at some point.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2022

But suppose Sylvia—oh, dash it, no need to spoil one's brief rest by allowing a beastly doubt like that to rear its ugly head!

From The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley by Tracy, Louis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023