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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
Less endearing is the ugly or circus-like behavior from people who yell, sing, curse and hurl crude, racist or misogynist insults at city officials during meetings.
—
Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Ron Artest fights Detroit Pistons fans in incident dubbed 'Malice at the Palace'
A 2004 game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers devolved into one of the ugliest moments in NBA history when a player started attacking fans.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 17 Jan. 2025
Even after an ugly season for the offense, the collective opinion atop the Browns’ organization of Rees remains high.
—Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
The actual incident in Los Angeles was much uglier.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ugly 
Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Ron Artest fights Detroit Pistons fans in incident dubbed 'Malice at the Palace'
A 2004 game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers devolved into one of the ugliest moments in NBA history when a player started attacking fans.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 17 Jan. 2025
Even after an ugly season for the offense, the collective opinion atop the Browns’ organization of Rees remains high.
—Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
The actual incident in Los Angeles was much uglier.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
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And in reading on, it will be said up front that government spending is the most hideous, economy-sapping tax of all.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
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Also, there may be three outfits, but that’s less exciting when all three of them are hideous.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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My TikTok really blew up somewhere between my videos taste-testing a really disgusting medication and my series about dating.—
Brooke Eby,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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Billions Of Jellyfish Wash Up On Beach By Jess Thomson Science Reporter 1 A plague of bizarre and disgusting balls that have washed up along popular beaches in Australia have been found to contain fecal bacteria.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Janacek’s Capriccio is a strange hybrid of lyricism and grotesque shocks of color.—
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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As is the case with horror icons such as Dracula, Freddy Krueger, and The Babadook, expect Bill Skarsgård's grotesque Count Orlok to be an annual Halloween costume favorite from now on.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But 2024 Ohio State had the good fortune to suffer that awful day in the first year of a bigger Playoff.—
Stewart Mandel,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
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There is one ray of hope for United fans though amid the awful run of results.—
Ben Church,
CNN,
20 Jan. 2025
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.—
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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Traffic was horrible and the private crews can’t turn on a siren, ignore traffic laws, and drive on the wrong side of the road like public firefighters.—
Joseph Bien-Kahn,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
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Recommended Trump moves from ‘American carnage’ to ‘a horrible betrayal’ in second inaugural Juries also convicted some on charges of seditious conspiracy, which refers to activities that undermine a state without directly attacking it.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Brown used the discourse to take a shot at Jemele Hill, suggesting that the journalist is unattractive and that men don’t want to be romantically involved with her.—
Marc Griffin,
VIBE.com,
7 Jan. 2025
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That’s so great in the book, having that perspective on somebody’s darkest, deepest, most unattractive, unflattering thoughts.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Respiratory viruses are continuing to spread across the United States, sickening millions of Americans.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2025
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Escaping the sickening air pollution triggered by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles has become a game of which algorithm to trust.—
Paresh Dave,
WIRED,
16 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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