ugly

adjective

ˈə-glē How to pronounce ugly (audio)
Definition of uglynext
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

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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 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 The Hour of the Star, in particular, drops us into the electric landscape of 1970s Brazil, following a young (ugly) girl’s love (situationship) with a rat of a boyfriend while weaving through themes of identity, inwardness, and social class. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026 Still, the legal battle is bound to get uglier and potentially expose more details about Liu and Chang’s activities. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Punk tried an ugly moonsault and missed, leading to a Cody kickout at two. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Even the band’s Interscope debut, 1991’s Sailing the Seas of Cheese, only splashed a thin layer of lacquer onto an ugly, unruly beast. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
  1. hideous
  2. disgusting
  3. grotesque
  4. awful
  5. unpleasing
  6. horrible
  7. unattractive
  8. sickening
Adjective
  • Illiteracy, and its centuries-long ongoing epidemic, is hideous.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 21 July 2026
  • The ace endured a rocky start punctuated by a hideous 11-run blowup in Minnesota and has now been sidelined with a shoulder injury since April 26.
    — Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • To interrogate Fauci now, for absolutely no coherent reason and completely without sense, is shameful and disgusting.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The left's most hated author — JK Rowling — has dropped the hammer on the disgusting things that took place at the Indiana Fever-Seattle Storm game earlier this week.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Then there’s the Trawler, part of the nouvelle vague of Los Angeles serial killers operating in Charles Manson’s wake — peer to the Night Stalker and the Hillside Strangler — and prefacing his grotesque murders with sadistic taunting.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • After all, these rich, beautiful people couldn’t possibly see past Dee’s uncontrollable urge to panic-gag and Charlie’s uncontrollable desire to shove grotesque amounts of cheese in his mouth, right?
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
Definition of grotesque
Adjective
  • The battle sequences in this finale are awful, elaborate, and grotesque, especially Ormund using children as human shields and Daemon burning them alive.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • So, what does this mean for the markets, and us bystanders, in this awful situation?
    — Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of unpleasing
Adjective
  • After years of seeing enough photos of fabulous wealth and horrible tragedy, these types of images cease to shock us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But the horrible jobs data suggests the central bank may have to think about weakening consumer spending as well.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The tens of thousands of people traveling at once and the road closures near the stadium and Atlanta park made driving very unattractive.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Not at all times because catastrophes happen and underwriting can sometimes get so crowded that the pricing becomes unattractive.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 20 July 2026
Definition of unattractive
Adjective
  • That’s why Law is a celebrity stylist; Law is known for curating sickening looks for his celebrity clients, but maybe sort of skimping out on himself, unfortunately.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026
  • There are also challenges for local businesses, which say customers are staying away because the stench is so sickening.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of sickening

Browse Nearby Words

ugliness
ugly
ukase
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Cite this Entry

“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ugly for Spanish Speakers

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