uglier; ugliest
1
a
: offensive to the sight : hideous
b
: offensive or unpleasant to any sense
2
: morally offensive or objectionable
corruption—the ugliest stain of all
3
a
: likely to cause inconvenience or discomfort
the ugly truth
b
: surly, quarrelsome
an ugly disposition
: in an ugly manner
was acting ugly
Examples of ugly in a Sentence
Adjective
an ugly shade of green
They avoided what could have been an ugly situation.
He has an ugly disposition.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The defense responded well Sunday after last week’s ugly loss to the Chargers.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
There are still characters who call Betty ugly, reflecting real-world resistance to change.
—Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
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Adjective
While both these teams are coming off ugly Week 2 losses, Washington is at home and has had 10 days' rest since their last game, while the Raiders are flying across the country for an early kickoff on a quick turnaround.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The defense responded well Sunday after last week’s ugly loss to the Chargers.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Adverb
How ugly do basic housing metrics look during California crashes?
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
There are still characters who call Betty ugly, reflecting real-world resistance to change.
—Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ugly. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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