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View synonyms for

ugly

[ uhg-lee ]

adjective

uglier, ugliest.
  1. very unattractive or unpleasant to look at; offensive to the sense of beauty; displeasing in appearance.

    Synonyms: , , , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. disagreeable; unpleasant; objectionable:

    ugly tricks;

    ugly discords.

  3. morally revolting:

    ugly crime.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  4. threatening trouble or danger:

    ugly symptoms.

    Synonyms: ,

  5. mean; hostile; quarrelsome:

    an ugly mood;

    an ugly frame of mind.

    Synonyms: ,

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

    ugly weather;

    an ugly sea.

    Synonyms: ,



ugly

/ ˈʌɡɪ /

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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܲ, adverb
  • ˈܲԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲl· adverb
  • ܲl·Ա noun
  • p·ܲl adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ugly1

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English ugly, uglike, from Old Norse uggligr “fearful, dreadful,” equivalent to ugg(r) “fear” + -ligr -ly
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ugly1

C13: from Old Norse uggligr dreadful, from ugga fear
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Idioms and Phrases

  • rear its ugly head
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“The train’s running pretty fast. It’d be ugly to jump off now.”

From

"They've amassed these points by winning when it's hard, winning when it's ugly, winning when the opposition have put up a fight," adds Atkinson.

From

There’s a different switch in my brain for stand-up and stand-up is probably the more naughty or ugly parts of yourself that have you like, “Is this OK? Am I insane to think this?”

From

I grew up moving every few years with my family, so suitcases were ugly reminders of the moves ahead for us.

From

The second Trump presidency, in this view, will be an especially ugly form of normal politics, and then the pendulum will swing back in customary fashion.

From

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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.

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