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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ugly
Ahead, Lin dives deep on the creative process behind Tell Me Lies beauty—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the worth-copying-immediately in 2026.
—
Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2026
Look at Annapolis’ obsession with offshore wind projects — big, ugly, industrial efforts that enrage residents, threaten marine life and provide unreliable power while depending entirely on massive ratepayer subsidies.
—Justin Ready, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
There were more than a few ugly incidents, and San Diego religious leaders began accompanying immigrants to those facilities.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The poor, old and ugly were convenient targets.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2026
Look at Annapolis’ obsession with offshore wind projects — big, ugly, industrial efforts that enrage residents, threaten marine life and provide unreliable power while depending entirely on massive ratepayer subsidies.
—Justin Ready, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
There were more than a few ugly incidents, and San Diego religious leaders began accompanying immigrants to those facilities.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The poor, old and ugly were convenient targets.
—Melissa Chan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
-
The 4chan logic that turned even the most hideous news and ideas into empty entertainment pervades everything on the internet now—more proof that lol, nothing matters.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The hideous curbside piles of frozen slush blocking New York City streets have a name.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Epstein files reveal plenty of powerful people to have tolerated or participated in disgusting and shameful behavior.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Alison Oliver, meanwhile, gives an unexpectedly elastic performance, bringing grotesque humor and real pathos to Isabella Linton, whose transformation over the course of the film is one of its most convincing arcs.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The often grotesque, highly entertaining flick stars Alison Lohman as Christine Brown, a perfectly nice bank loan officer with a perfectly nice boyfriend (Justin Long).—
New York Times,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And not this awful thing that happens again.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Padres were mostly woeful for a decade before Preller’s arrival and wholly awful the first five seasons under his direction.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Rosemary makes one of the best companion plants for apple trees because of its strong scent that's unpleasing to critters looking to snack on a juicy red apple.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
And for the next year its law enforcement members were hailed as heroes for their efforts that prevented a horrible situation from becoming even worse.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
There’s nary a crease to be seen in Bina Daigeler’s costumes, all covetable, unapproachable and tailored to the gods; Matthew Herbert’s score may be among the lushest ever slathered over such horrible goings-on.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
By making this state extremely unattractive to AI data centers.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
They have been used ever since, except for Super Bowl 50, where the number was used instead because NFL ad designers felt Super Bowl L was too unattractive and unmarketable.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
