1
as in hideous
unpleasant to look at
her first attempt at painting was pretty ugly—a portrait of her sister that was not at all flattering
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
an ugly suggestion for controlling the overpopulation of deer in the area
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
Though the Rockies entered the weekend with an ugly 23-55 record at Coors, the worst team in baseball ranked 17th out of 30 in attendance.
—
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
But the bullpen reared its ugly head again in the eighth when Treinen gave up three runs on three hits and two walks, preventing the Dodgers from completing a four-game sweep and keeping their magic number to clinch the National League West title at three.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 21 Sep. 2025
And most importantly, the vast and ugly images of human suffering.
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The tannins in coffee are very good at penetrating porous ceramic (as well as our teeth) and leaving behind ugly brown stains.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
But the bullpen reared its ugly head again in the eighth when Treinen gave up three runs on three hits and two walks, preventing the Dodgers from completing a four-game sweep and keeping their magic number to clinch the National League West title at three.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 21 Sep. 2025
And most importantly, the vast and ugly images of human suffering.
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The tannins in coffee are very good at penetrating porous ceramic (as well as our teeth) and leaving behind ugly brown stains.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
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Hart was short, with a hideous combover.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
30 Aug. 2025
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That hideous incentive triggered My Lai and other similarly heinous attacks.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t notice all the ways humans are disgusting.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
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But this disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And having a 'hate speech' crackdown in the name of Charlie Kirk — a man who absolutely rejected 'hate speech' laws — is especially grotesque.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Just as scary as the grotesque creatures outside are the factionalism and paranoia of the residents inside.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump has said repeatedly that Kimmel's ratings are awful.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
24 Sep. 2025
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As inane and sterile as the marketing was, the actual event wasn’t awful.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
-
That sounds absolutely horrible.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
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Their ratings are also horrible.—
William Earl,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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However, this can become an unattractive liquidity option if the family dynamic shifts negatively.—
Matthew Fleming,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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And the toilet seat has discolored in a way that is really unattractive.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Certainly, the non-participation of Ukrainian gymnasts in international sports competitions causes some damage to the sports composition, which leaves a sickening siege in our gymnasts and coaches, who have done a great job of preparing gymnasts for competitions.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The sickening moment of Kirk's murder was captured on video and has been viewed by tens of millions of people.—
Melissa Galbraith,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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