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
Relevance
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
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
an ugly scar
an ugly scene
an ugly truth
an ugly word
an ugly picture
an unattractive picture
an unlovely picture
an unpleasant picture
an unappealing picture
a hideous picture
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
Stocks will begin Thursday modestly lower after an ugly downside reversal the previous session.
—
Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Play of the Day Baker adjusts deep: As the starting offense began U-turning from an ugly start to 11-on-11s, young receiver Javon Baker sprinted down the right sideline and gained a half-step on Gonzalez.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
Trump's 'big, ugly bill': People will die 08:32 AM EDT
What are the requirements for Medicaid under the budget bill?
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
The Orioles fell to the Nationals, 10-4, in another ugly loss Sunday afternoon.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Play of the Day Baker adjusts deep: As the starting offense began U-turning from an ugly start to 11-on-11s, young receiver Javon Baker sprinted down the right sideline and gained a half-step on Gonzalez.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
Trump's 'big, ugly bill': People will die 08:32 AM EDT
What are the requirements for Medicaid under the budget bill?
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
The Orioles fell to the Nationals, 10-4, in another ugly loss Sunday afternoon.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
-
There are no save-the-cat redemptions for a man who became famous for torturing, murdering and performing hideous experiments on countless Jews as part of a team of doctors overseeing medical services at Auschwitz-Birkenau.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2025
-
But Eleanor has backed herself into an awful corner, and in some ways, so too has Johansson’s film, which is stuck trying to impart sage wisdom through the lens of a truly hideous (if well-meaning) lie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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But unfortunately, that also means Big Mouth, the cartoon about all the disgusting, messy parts of growing up from Nick Kroll, must also conclude as well.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
19 May 2025
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Victorian Ladies at Lunch In a beautiful regency-era setting, four women eat disgusting foods.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
However sincere and dedicated Bianca Cline’s efforts are, there’s something grotesque about hiring a second cinematographer to attempt to reproduce Hutchins’s style, and something perverse about digitally pasting an actor’s face on another’s in order to maintain continuity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
20 May 2025
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It’s stylized, grotesque — and apparently, mother-repellent.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
Over the 18 games following a 21-run eruption against the historically awful Colorado Rockies, the Padres ranked last in the majors in OPS and third-to-last in runs per game.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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The timing isn’t awful for SDFC, which doesn’t play its next league game until June 14 and expected Lozano to be absent possibly into early July on national-team duty.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
There’s no doubt that Lewis, abandoned as a baby by his parents, has done some horrible stuff.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2025
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What happened to Simone as a child is horrible, and in her brain, she is therefore absolved of having anything to do with her father.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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But what has emerged is a repetitive, unattractive, and finally unrewarding slog, in which Ducournau’s filmmaking verve itself seems to harden into lifelessness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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Although domestic demand for these goods remains strong, bringing this sector back to the United States is both politically empty and economically unattractive.—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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For years, raw sewage from Mexico has poured across the border into Southern California, fouling beaches, sickening residents and sparking diplomatic as well as environmental concerns.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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