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
: 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
Leslie Picker, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
After blowing out the Commanders 44-22 on October 19, Dallas traveled to Denver the following week and suffered an ugly 44-24 loss.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Matt Schubert, sports editor: San Diego State 15, CSU 10
The Aztecs are back to playing lights-out defense and winning ugly — Rocky Long style.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
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Adjective
At worst, well — things could get ugly.
—Leslie Picker, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
After blowing out the Commanders 44-22 on October 19, Dallas traveled to Denver the following week and suffered an ugly 44-24 loss.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
The fact is, every playoff team, even the real contenders, has ugly one-score victories on their resume come January.
—J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Matt Schubert, sports editor: San Diego State 15, CSU 10
The Aztecs are back to playing lights-out defense and winning ugly — Rocky Long style.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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