unlovely
Americanadjective
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not lovely; without beauty or charm.
-
harsh or repellent in character; unpleasant; disagreeable; objectionable.
adjective
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unpleasant in appearance
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unpleasant in character
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unlovely
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at un- 1, lovely
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.
One of the two optimistic stories goes under the unlovely name of the “nonlinear Phillips curve.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 12, 2023
From its muted, unlovely color palette to its tightly controlled performances, everything it shows us is placed in rigorous service of brilliantly cascading questions and ideas: What are the cost and value of forgiveness?
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2023
The point was, Poe deserved better; the most interesting plants do grow in the shade, unlovely and unloved.
From Salon • Jan. 21, 2023
“Without the unlovely P.C. code phrases, ‘white supremacy,’ ‘patriarchal domination’ and ‘self-recovery,’ hooks couldn’t write a sentence,” Wallace wrote.
From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2021
Tears and snot ran down the boy’s unlovely face.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
