as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an unattractive, awkward baby bird
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 unattractive
The growth of streaming has made cable networks an unattractive business.
—
David Bauder, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025
These pills are unattractive and difficult to remove without causing a hole to form in the synthetic fabric.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
Dozens of commenters rejected the notion that Fox could be considered unattractive, instead praising his charm and comforting presence.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
The life of an unattractive and unintelligent young woman living in a dreary backwater in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unattractive
David Bauder, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025
These pills are unattractive and difficult to remove without causing a hole to form in the synthetic fabric.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
Dozens of commenters rejected the notion that Fox could be considered unattractive, instead praising his charm and comforting presence.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
The life of an unattractive and unintelligent young woman living in a dreary backwater in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unattractive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattractive
Adjective
-
Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Sure, coach Mike Tomlin's teams tend to win ugly games, but not in the playoffs — at least not lately.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 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
-
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 grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
-
Dazzled by their self-image as humanity’s philanthropic guides, they were doomed to reprise the grotesque logic of slave camps under the flag of freedom.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unattractive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattractive. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share