unhandsome
Americanadjective
-
lacking good looks; not attractive in physical appearance; plain or ugly.
-
ungracious; discourteous; unseemly.
an unhandsome exchange of epithets.
-
ungenerous; illiberal.
an unhandsome reward.
Other Word Forms
- unhandsomely adverb
- unhandsomeness noun
Etymology
Origin of unhandsome
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.
Alec is self-conscious about his scarring, but if the show wanted to make Martin appear unhandsome, which he pushed for, it should have tried harder.
From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024
Or if there was, it isn’t the story that Frank Loesser tells in his 1956 musical “The Most Happy Fella,” about the romance between the unhandsome middle-aged Tony and the waitress Rosabella.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2022
He was not unhandsome; his face was chiselled and tanned to a dusky perfection.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 18, 2018
In those days Stravinsky had an unhandsome but chiseled, fiercely self-contained face.
From Slate • Jul. 27, 2010
The postmasters-general of the day, Lord Lovell and Sir John Eyles, told the Board of Customs in so many words that their conduct was unhandsome.
From The History of the Post Office From Its Establishment Down to 1836 by Joyce, Herbert
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.
