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Synonyms

ugh

American  
[ookh, uhkh, uh, oo, uhg] / ʊx, ʌx, ʌ, ʊ, ʌg /

interjection

  1. (used as an exclamation expressing disgust, aversion, horror, or the like.)

noun

  1. the sound of a cough, grunt, or the like.

ugh British  
/ ʊx, ʊh, ʌh /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of disgust, annoyance, or dislike

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ugh

First recorded in 1670–80, of expressive origin

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.

“Nobody would look at that and say, ugh, you’re going to have a lot of defaults,” Ostrover said.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

The track is so unapologetically — ugh, cringe word, I know — Mexican.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

“There’s a funny moment when you realize that as an activist: The off-ramp out of extreme poverty is, ugh, commerce, it’s entrepreneurial capitalism.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

I mean, 45 minutes to an hour, stirring angry — ugh.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

And ugh, the only one who's still sixteen.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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.