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
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Recent Examples of ugly
Anthony’s defensive deficiencies, especially his throwing, have been on full display in an ugly 2-8 start for the Red Sox this season and were at the center of another rough loss Monday night at Fenway Park, this time to the Brewers.
—
Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The National Championship game was ugly.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
Millions wouldn’t be losing their health care to a big ugly bill.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
While some have been good, others were bad, and still others were simply ugly.
—Wayne Winegarden, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The National Championship game was ugly.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
Millions wouldn’t be losing their health care to a big ugly bill.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
While some have been good, others were bad, and still others were simply ugly.
—Wayne Winegarden, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
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All our buildings are these hideous rectangles.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Unfortunately, their appearance is so hideous to ordinary flesh-and-blood creatures that looking at a Medusan is liable to induce madness and death.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Living under an openly misogynistic president may have felt freakish in 2017, but by his second term, bigotry became yet another disgusting norm.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The amount of disrespect shown the Broncos is disgusting.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Goombas are Gremlin-like and grotesque.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
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The finale is a suitably grotesque affair with a body count that’s impressive even by genre standards.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The only way to pull out of an awful season-opening stretch is one at-bat, one pitch, one win at a time.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Still, outside of two games, the offense has been awful.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Usually a team of elegant offense, Michigan instead clanked 13 triples off the rim and relied on its inside defensive ferocity to win a game nearly as aesthetically unpleasing as UConn’s 53-41 win over Butler in 2011.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Zack James’ shifty drumming hammers out a drum ’n’ bass redux like a panicked heartbeat while Carney Hemler’s bass lurches in slow motion, replicating the gut drop of a horrible realization.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
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Fendelman captured that horrible silence in the doc, punctuated by Littlejohn’s niece screaming, feral and raw.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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From the dramatic adolescent to the unpredictable PMS-ing woman to the irritable menopausal crone, unattractive stereotypes of women ruled by their hormones abound.—
Patricia Bencivenga,
STAT,
26 Mar. 2026
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The plant will form stunted shoots and leaves along with unattractive brown spots.—
Michelle Mastro,
Architectural Digest,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In a sickening moment broadcast live after Boyes’s shot missed, Long moved quickly about, shooting many hostages.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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The feds also looked over Bied’s sickening business partnership with his co-conspirator in Indonesia, who Bied purchased multiple orangutan and Javan leopard skulls from.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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