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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ugly
That’s the ugly little truth behind this story.
—
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
Alarm clocks are a necessary evil for most of us, but don’t let an ugly one ruin your new sleek hotel aesthetic.
—Brittney Morgan, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Talking about taking the oil for American use brings back the image of the ugly American.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
The Huskies’ strength of schedule took a hit this week with USC dropping out of the poll following a pair of ugly losses to Oregon and Minnesota.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
Alarm clocks are a necessary evil for most of us, but don’t let an ugly one ruin your new sleek hotel aesthetic.
—Brittney Morgan, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Talking about taking the oil for American use brings back the image of the ugly American.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
The Huskies’ strength of schedule took a hit this week with USC dropping out of the poll following a pair of ugly losses to Oregon and Minnesota.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
-
Such jars of moldy fruit were probably fairly hideous to consume.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The medical ordeals are traumatic and disgusting, but fascinating and full of the quirks of modern life.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Having snow, slush, and (eventually) water all over my floors was a disgusting feeling.—
Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano,
The Spruce,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Those artists never stopped creating scenes that captured the vibrancy—and sometimes the more grotesque side too—of places that remain world capitals today.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Kel’el was awful against Jay Huff in Indiana, and albeit in limited minutes, nonetheless had only one rebound at Oklahoma City.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
-
One particularly awful story comes from an 81-year-old Alhambra widower who lost $720,000 to a cryptocurrency scam, her entire life savings.—
Caroline Melear,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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
-
Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Accelerating the vicious cycle, businesses, aware that the state is unattractive to families, are then further incentivized to either leave or not expand their business to California.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
4 Jan. 2026
-
For instance, there’s a difference between wanting a bikini wax so that body hair doesn’t show during swim team meets, and wanting one because hairless models on Instagram convinced them their pubic hair is unattractive.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
27 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Jin Shin has come across some monster potholes over the last couple of weeks, including one in Koreatown that rattled his car with a sickening thump and another near the airport where its depth was obscured by water.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Oil is a 20th century energy source, outmoded and responsible for sickening and killing millions of people with the potential to kill millions more.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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