as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
a makeshift shelter that was unbeautiful perhaps, but it kept us out of the rain
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Recent Examples of unbeautiful
Then over the Pont de la Concorde, an unbeautiful bridge that holds great historical significance.
—
Anna Hartley, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022
But it is often done in some very unbeautiful circumstances, for low wages, and in unhealthy work environments.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2022
Buddhism was born under a giant fig tree, which, today, grows at the center of the remote and unbeautiful town of Bodh Gaya, in India’s destitute northeastern state of Bihar.
—Paul Salopek, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2019
These things are for the unbeautiful, the uneducated, the uncouth.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 21 June 2017
Our sound, right now, is going to be the most blatant way of saying things -- the most unbeautiful, realistic lyrics.
—Taylor Weatherby, Billboard, 20 June 2017
Anna Hartley, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022
But it is often done in some very unbeautiful circumstances, for low wages, and in unhealthy work environments.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2022
Buddhism was born under a giant fig tree, which, today, grows at the center of the remote and unbeautiful town of Bodh Gaya, in India’s destitute northeastern state of Bihar.
—Paul Salopek, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2019
These things are for the unbeautiful, the uneducated, the uncouth.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 21 June 2017
Our sound, right now, is going to be the most blatant way of saying things -- the most unbeautiful, realistic lyrics.
—Taylor Weatherby, Billboard, 20 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbeautiful
Adjective
-
The Anaheim Ducks’ captain took out the left leg of Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit during the second period Thursday night, one of the uglier hits of the 2025-26 season.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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But as the film quietly signals, a society’s obscenities are not aberrations, only parts of an ugly chapter in a long history.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 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
-
Suddenly the whole thing seemed like a hideous dream.—
Elwyn "Bud" Myers,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
-
One of most hideous images in American poetry, and yet one of the most memorable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The editorial board has offered tone-deaf takes on the Iran war detached from its grotesque, senseless reality.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The airstrike, allegedly part of an offensive targeting an Iranian military complex nearby, provided a grotesque example of the horrors unfolding since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran late last month.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unbeautiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbeautiful. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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