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:
The results of that investigation could transform the death penalty debate by offering more evidence about our ugly recent history of executing the innocent.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
Investors need to be on their guard against the pumpkin-spice latte effect, which is about to rear its ugly head.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
“We’re both unafraid to be ugly and weird and strange,” said Abbott, who is known for his role as Charlie Dattolo in the HBO comedy-drama “Girls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 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
Sure, the forest was ugly and intimidating, but that was it.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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
Yet that doesn’t mean that all defensive sectors are behaving as might be expected when sentiment is turning uglier.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
“Yeah, no point in being uglier than usual.”
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
He is renowned for his precise and restrained use of language, delivering provocative truths about people’s ugliest impulses and asking the audience to laugh at them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"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
I have the ugliest lawn in my neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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
But it’s with this ideal that the spiders spin their ugliest webs for us.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
