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
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2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an unlovely but efficient little machine
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unlovely
The song is unlovely and jagged, the melody’s sweetness repeatedly punctured by the squawks of their habitual bickering.
—
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
From its inception, back in 2012, Mann’s relentless litigation has been marked out by an unlovely mixture of mendacity and egomania.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The place is owned by Jabe Torrance (Michael Cullen), a mean man with an unlovely personality who’s just returned from having surgery in Memphis and seems to be dying.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Perhaps her skepticism showed: A sketch of the conference speakers has the 43-year-old grim-faced beneath a wide, unlovely hat.
—Sarah Watling, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
From its inception, back in 2012, Mann’s relentless litigation has been marked out by an unlovely mixture of mendacity and egomania.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The place is owned by Jabe Torrance (Michael Cullen), a mean man with an unlovely personality who’s just returned from having surgery in Memphis and seems to be dying.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Perhaps her skepticism showed: A sketch of the conference speakers has the 43-year-old grim-faced beneath a wide, unlovely hat.
—Sarah Watling, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlovely
Adjective
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Castillo’s short novel is a giddy character study of an unpleasant young male type.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
-
To neutralize unpleasant smells, add a few pots of aromatic herbs, like rosemary and lavender.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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
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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
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There are no save-the-cat redemptions for a man who became famous for torturing, murdering and performing hideous experiments on countless Jews as part of a team of doctors overseeing medical services at Auschwitz-Birkenau.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2025
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But Eleanor has backed herself into an awful corner, and in some ways, so too has Johansson’s film, which is stuck trying to impart sage wisdom through the lens of a truly hideous (if well-meaning) lie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Of the treaty’s three American signers—John Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin—Franklin was said to have taken the harshest line against the loyalists.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
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Netflix released the trailer for the reality TV show on YouTube on Wednesday, which starts with a voice-over of a cheerleader talking about how the DCC will always be in each other’s lives before explaining the harsh reality of trying out to be a Cowboys cheerleader with all the talent.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
If, like for me, Lewis Carroll’s 1865 fairy tale about a girl who stumbles into Wonderland is a core memory, all those beloved characters are there, with a splendidly cogent (and at times delightfully grotesque) libretto.—
Lauren Warnecke,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
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The gore may have felt too grotesque to shoot in live action using makeup and prosthetics, and potentially unbearable for some audiences to watch.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has continued to search for answers to cure what ails the Athletics during their historically bad run of losing in West Sacramento.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Well, as referenced above, the United States was coming out of a nasty recession tied to the crisis in the mortgage market.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Depending on a team to string together hits — or even contact — to score multiple runs in an inning against pitchers with nasty stuff is a hard way to win.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unlovely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlovely. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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