ugly
very unattractive or unpleasant to look at; offensive to the sense of beauty; displeasing in appearance.
disagreeable; unpleasant; objectionable: ugly tricks;ugly discords.
morally revolting: ugly crime.
threatening trouble or danger: ugly symptoms.
mean; hostile; quarrelsome: an ugly mood;an ugly frame of mind.
(especially of natural phenomena) unpleasant or dangerous: ugly weather;an ugly sea.
Origin of ugly
1Other words for ugly
Opposites for ugly
Other words from ugly
- ug·li·ly, adverb
- ug·li·ness, noun
- su·per·ug·ly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ugly in a sentence
Clashes between riot police and hundreds of demonstrators grew consistently uglier as the day wore on.
But we are in an odd moment, as the discussion has become uglier after the campaign ended.
Guns and Gay Marriage: With the Campaign Over, the Real Fight Begins | Stuart Stevens | April 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere's one thing uglier than a Democratic tax-and-spend spree.
Douglas' race-baiting becomes wilder, uglier, and more incoherent.
The run to Election Day is getting uglier by the day—just look at the ads on television so far.
10 Outrageous Attack Ads: Bain, Burning Money, & More (Videos) | The Daily Beast Video | August 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Her affectation of extreme youth was so absurdly ridiculous, that it made her appear older and uglier than she really was.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieMiss Matilda Griffin was a good deal uglier, and about as amiable as her mother-in-law.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush | William Makepeace ThackerayJoyce found that it was almost as strange as if never pictured out before her, and a great deal uglier than she had supposed.
Joyce's Investments | Fannie E. NewberryIt might be objected that if one object were ugly, and another uglier still, they are such because they participate in a form.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3 | Plotinos (Plotinus)It is this that makes them blear-eyed, and even uglier than Nature intended them to be.
The Land of Fire | Mayne Reid
British Dictionary definitions for ugly
/ (ˈʌɡlɪ) /
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
Origin of ugly
1Derived forms of ugly
- uglily, adverb
- ugliness, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with ugly
In addition to the idioms beginning with ugly
- ugly as sin
- ugly customer
- ugly duckling
also see:
- rear its ugly head
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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