Definition of ugly
uglier
;ugliest
2a : offensive to the sight : hideousb : offensive or unpleasant to any sense
3 : morally offensive or objectionable corruption—the ugliest stain of all
4a : likely to cause inconvenience or discomfort the ugly truthb : surly, quarrelsome an ugly disposition
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Examples of ugly in a Sentence
an ugly shade of green
They avoided what could have been an ugly situation.
He has an ugly disposition.
Recent Examples of ugly from the Web
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But the point is: This rebuild is going to be ugly sometimes.
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But mostly Mr Trump stood back and watched as his rivals exposed deep and ugly divisions on the centre-ground and left of American politics.
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Any American who travels to any foreign country must always strive to not be an ugly American.
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Four years ago, Eileen Gonzales and her live-in fiancé had a painful, ugly breakup.
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The season-long numbers on Hamels paint an equally ugly picture.
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The Enquirer brings you the 50 most influential people in Bengals history through various forms of media, bringing you the names and untold stories that shaped this franchise over its first half century -- good, bad and ugly.
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There is untested new technology that may determine who'll win if this ugly situation turns even uglier.
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This is some pretty ugly stuff, and the pushback could have been messy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ugly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of ugly
Middle English, from Old Norse uggligr, from uggr fear; akin to Old Norse ugga to fear
ugly
Definition of ugly
: in an ugly manner was acting ugly
First Known Use of ugly
14th century
UGLY Defined for English Language Learners
ugly
playDefinition of ugly for English Language Learners
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: unpleasant to look at : not pretty or attractive
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: unpleasant to hear
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: offensive or disgusting
UGLY Defined for Kids
ugly
playDefinition of ugly for Students
uglier
;ugliest
1 : unpleasant to look at : not attractive He was an ugly dog, but already, I loved him with all my heart. — Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
2 : 1offensive 1 ugly habits
3 : likely to cause bother or discomfort : troublesome an ugly situation
4 : showing a mean or quarrelsome disposition an ugly temper
ugliness
nounLearn More about ugly
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See words that rhyme with ugly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ugly Spanish Central: Translation of ugly Nglish: Translation of ugly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ugly for Arabic speakers
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