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Synonyms

ugly

American  
[uhg-lee] / ˈʌg li /

adjective

uglier, ugliest

  1. 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

  2. disagreeable; unpleasant; objectionable.

    ugly tricks;

    ugly discords.

  3. morally revolting.

    ugly crime.
    Synonyms:
    corrupt, monstrous, vile, heinous, base

  4. threatening trouble or danger.

    ugly symptoms.
    Synonyms:
    ominous, disadvantageous

  5. mean; hostile; quarrelsome.

    an ugly mood;

    an ugly frame of mind.
    Synonyms:
    spiteful, surly

  6. (especially of natural phenomena) unpleasant or dangerous.

    ugly weather;

    an ugly sea.
    Synonyms:
    tempestuous, stormy
ugly British  
/ ˈʌɡlɪ /

adjective

  1. of unpleasant or unsightly appearance

  2. repulsive, objectionable, or displeasing in any way

    war is ugly

  3. ominous or menacing

    an ugly situation

  4. bad-tempered, angry, or sullen

    an ugly mood
"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
ugly Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing ugly

Other Word Forms

  • superugly adjective
  • uglily adverb
  • ugliness noun

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

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.