ugly

1 of 3

adjective

ug·​ly ˈə-glē 

uglier; ugliest

1

a

: unpleasant or offensive to look at : hideous

an ugly color

That dog is ugly as sin. [=very ugly]

b

: offensive or unpleasant to any sense

an ugly sound/voice

2

: morally offensive or objectionable

corruption—the ugliest stain of all

an ugly slur

3

a

: very bad, inconvenient, or unpleasant

the ugly truth

an ugly situation

Things could get/turn ugly.

b

: surly, quarrelsome

an ugly disposition/temper

4

: frightful, dire

an ugly wound

uglily

ˈə-glə-lē 

adverb

ugly

2 of 3

adverb

: in an ugly manner

was acting ugly

(as) ugly as sin

3 of 3

phrase

informal

: very ugly

That dog of yours is as ugly as sin.

Synonyms of ugly

Adjective

• hideous
• grotesque
• unpleasing
• disgusting
• awful
• unattractive

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

Adjective

How odd that your in-laws can call your bed old and ugly, but balk at insulting their neighbor’s castoffs by not using them. — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026

There is a sweet communal thing on The Office that doesn’t get very ugly. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Adverb

Beyond the ugly-duckling implications and the patent objectification and humiliation of women, the show’s portrayal of plastic surgery itself struck me as dark and sort of sickening. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026

Winning ugly has become a kind of superpower for her, in the years when scratchy form emerged more often than not. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Phrase

Contemporary dune buggies, mostly built from sheet steel and having no compound curves, were ugly as sin. — Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old Norse uggligr, from uggr fear; akin to Old Norse ugga to fear

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ugly

• (as) ugly as sin
• plug-ugly
• rear/raise its ugly head
• ugly duckling

Rhymes for ugly

• smugly
• snugly

Kids Definition

ugly

adjective

ug·​ly

ˈəg-lē

uglier; ugliest

1

: horrid or unpleasant especially to the sight : unsightly, hideous

2

: offensive entry 1 sense 3, repulsive

ugly habits

3

a

: likely to cause bother or discomfort : troublesome

an ugly situation

b

: quarrelsome

an ugly disposition

ugliness noun