1
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
Sunday night is often spoiled by the unlovely thought of having to go back to school or work the next morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an unlovely but efficient little machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unlovely
The Bible teaches that God is Love – infinite and always available, with no unlovely or unloving element.
—
Larissa Snorek, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
In so doing, the state has taken a wholly worthwhile cause — the cause of individual choice — and sullied it with an unlovely combination of hypocrisy and two-bit protectionism.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 May 2024
And this was something that goes by the very unlovely acronym of a BVLOS flight.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Apr. 2024
The insights are persuasive, but the language is decidedly unlovely.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Larissa Snorek, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
In so doing, the state has taken a wholly worthwhile cause — the cause of individual choice — and sullied it with an unlovely combination of hypocrisy and two-bit protectionism.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 May 2024
And this was something that goes by the very unlovely acronym of a BVLOS flight.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Apr. 2024
The insights are persuasive, but the language is decidedly unlovely.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlovely
Adjective
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To avoid unpleasant digestive side effects, start by adding 1 tablespoon (or less) to your recipes.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While not the pastor of the United States, Trump surely represents the face of the United States on a daily basis, and that face is an ugly one.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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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Car launches are generally ghastly events, and this was way down there with the most hideous… and perhaps gave a clue as to why VW struggles to match its huge European sales success in America.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
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The hideous prospect of interviewing for jobs even more pointless than this one appears before me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The lawyers also argue that Combs' sentence was too harsh, saying the trial judge wrongly based it in part on a conclusion that the crimes involved fraud and coercion and that Combs was a leader or organizer of criminal activity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Focused on a 2021 expedition in which Icelandic climber John Snorri Sigurjónsson and the Pakistani father-and-son team Ali and Sajid Sadpara attempt to become the first to summit K2 in winter, when conditions are at their harshest.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Not so in laissez-faire London, where unregulated insurance markets enabled all kinds of grotesque gambling schemes to thrive.—
Stuart Jeffries,
Air Mail,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Goombas are Gremlin-like and grotesque.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Kawhi Leonard sat out for the Clippers to rest ankle and wrist injuries, while Draymond Green was out for the Warriors with a bad back.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Was Paul’s effect on history, incalculably large, good or bad on the whole?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Bisontis’ pass-protection profile doesn’t need a publicist, but his ceiling depends on how much nastier and more consistent the run-blocking becomes.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Andoni Iraola’s side is nasty to play against.—
Jackie Powell,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlovely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlovely. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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