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.
I drove around downtown Los Angeles on a recent Friday morning looking for one of the Civic Center’s ugly ducklings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 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
So many little girls have been raised on fairytales about ugly ducklings becoming swans that we are pre-programmed to be patient in anticipation of beauty.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 23, 2015
It is not that strategics never buy these ugly ducklings.
From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2011
"Ted Slavin and some of his ugly ducklings?"
From The Banner Boy Scouts Or, The Struggle for Leadership by George A. Warren
