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
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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
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an ugly scar
an ugly scene
an ugly truth
an ugly word
an ugly picture
an unattractive picture
an unlovely picture
an unpleasant picture
an unappealing picture
a hideous picture
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
In a season of ugly losses, the Miami Heat turned in another one, this time against a Dallas Mavericks team that fielded a limited roster.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025
The city was not immune to ugly, racist incidents and resistance from white teams to even entertain the idea of playing against Black teams.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
Speaking of mothers, Elon Musk is embroiled in a long and ugly custody battle with Grimes over their shared children, and she’s accused him of keeping X from her.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 13 Feb. 2025
Also: Her ugly drag face at the start of the competition has apparently freed her up to do character paints in the challenges that the other girls aren’t touching.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
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The result was good for the Jayhawks, as the Cyclones shot a hideous 1-for-12 (11%) from long range.—
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Rust is a big deal, as is the fact that many Panteras have been mangled by previous owners bestowing hideous enhancements (think bad celebrity plastic surgery) on otherwise desirable cars.—
Adjective
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That’s crazy to me: divine love shown to us through a disgusting and emaciated corpse hanging on a tool of execution.—
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What happens when a social influencer builds her entire rep on a disgusting lie?—
Adjective
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Their legacy includes the extreme outfits of the flamboyant criminals and hairdressers in Female Trouble (1974) and the grotesque Mortvillians in Desperate Living (1977) Smith to Polyester (1982) and Hairspray (1988) to more mainstream films such as Cry-Baby (1990) and Serial Mom (1994).—
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Werfel concocted a more tortuous explanation for his wife’s grotesque behavior.—
Adjective
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My heart was already pounding from the awful climb, but there was a sudden thrill and exhilaration.—
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Vanderbilt Profile Strengths: Competitive metrics, no bad losses, headliner wins vs. Kentucky and Tennessee. Profile Weaknesses: No key road/neutral wins, awful nonconference SOS.—
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
Adjective
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There are so many horrible things happening in the world.—
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While much of the criticism of HSR has come from inside California, the project’s horrible reputation is gaining national attention.—
Adjective
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The predominant flavors are salt and starch, unattractive in print but deeply comforting on a steaming spoon.—
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Despite the currently unattractive conference record, Moser’s ability to find diamonds in the rough has allowed Oklahoma to put itself squarely in the NCAA Tournament picture.—
Adjective
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Every day a new person emerges as a magnificent hero or a sickening villain.—
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This whole tragic final sequence plays out with a sense of sickening inevitability, like an ugly, violent domino effect.—
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Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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