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:
You pine for an ugly deflection, a madcap own goal, one that ricochets in off McGinn's backside or the back of McBurnie's head.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
It led his team to sift colonial-era archives and convince families to share fragile letters revealing ugly histories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Phase 3 also involves confronting the ugly side of life.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
In the ones where the culture around the game turns especially ugly, I feel the pen hesitate.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I’ll die out here. My spirit will be trapped forever with those ugly animals watching me. I wish I’d never left home!”
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Because, lately, the more expensive Ferraris are, the uglier they get.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
But uglier nooks are frozen in time as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Things could well get uglier before they get better for England.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Here’s where silver gets uglier than rare earths.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
I’ve probably had uglier wounds from falling off my bike.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
"Is it just me or am I the ugliest person alive?" a woman in her early 30s asks the camera on TikTok, accompanied by the caption "POV: Girls in their luteal phase."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Still, the settlement agreement bars either side from appealing Liman’s ruling, potentially drawing one of Hollywood’s ugliest recent legal fights to a close.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
“It was probably the ugliest environment that I’ve been in,” said one respondent.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
The pair clearly reinforce each other’s ugliest tendencies.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
“That is the ugliest garden I have ever seen,” I said.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
