ugly duckling
noun
an unattractive or unpromising child who becomes a beautiful or much-admired adult.
ugly ducklings
-
pluralof ugly duckling.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Have warm feelings toward Copenhagen’s favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, and his little tales about lovelorn mermaids and ugly ducklings?
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025
Misshapen with skin blemishes, the ugly ducklings end up in landfills or go to food banks if they’re lucky.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2018
Di Canio though is on a mission to prove that stellar coaching really can make swans of apparently ugly ducklings.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 12, 2013
It is not that strategics never buy these ugly ducklings.
From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2011
The majority of ugly ducklings, however, grow up into uglier ducks, and Mrs. Govers resigned herself to the melancholy prospect of the widowed mother of an old maid perennial.
From In a Little Town by Rupert Hughes
