unglamorous

adjective un·glam·or·ous \ ˌən-ˈglam-rəs , -ˈgla-mə- \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of unglamorous

: not excitingly attractive : not glamorous

unglamorous work

… only 80 pay to enter this unglamorous, graffiti-scarred brick building with views of the Thames.
—Asher Price

Recent Examples of unglamorous from the Web

For years, advocates have criticized Mr. Cuomo’s uneven leadership of the transit system, with a focus on splashy projects like the Second Avenue subway over the unglamorous nuts and bolts of running the system.

— New York Times, "In the Battle Between Cuomo and Nixon, the Subway Becomes a Central Issue," 31 May 2018
On 21 May, China plans to launch a satellite with a vital but unglamorous mission.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "China’s moon mission will probe cosmic dark ages," 16 May 2018
Yes, Merkel may be the unglamorous follow-up to Macron's charm offensive, rolling up her sleeves to get work done.

— atika shubert, CNN, "Angela Merkel: Trump's final hurdle before the weekend," 26 Apr. 2018
But Utah Republican leaders said Mr. Romney was wise to risk the momentary failure of losing the convention so as not to be seen as too good for the sort of activists who typically do the unglamorous work of volunteering each campaign.

— julie turkewitz and jonathan martin, New York Times, "Romney Failed to Win at Utah Convention, but Few Believe He’s Doomed," 24 Apr. 2018
Early in the picture Charley spies a billboard in the background for Portland Meadows racetrack, an unglamorous relic.

— michael phillips, Detroit Free Press, "Review: ‘Lean on Pete’ is powerful and devastating," 20 Apr. 2018
Supervising a public toilet is an unglamorous and at times even dangerous job.

— dominic fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF Tenderloin toilet monitor honored for life-saving actions," 19 Apr. 2018
Early in the picture Charley spies a billboard in the background for Portland Meadows race track, an unglamorous relic.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Lean on Pete' review: A horse story of a different, darker color," 12 Apr. 2018
Entrenched conservative values will clash this year with a liberal fervor that often plays out at the local level, in grinding, unglamorous work.

— susan chira, New York Times, "Year of the Woman? In Arizona, It’s Women, Plural, and It’s Both Parties," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unglamorous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unglamorous

circa 1934

in the meaning defined above

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unglamorous

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