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
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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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
The former Playmate of the Month has a lot of life experiences under her belt — some good, some bad, more than a few that are regrettably ugly.
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David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
In season 2, Severance forces both its characters and its viewers to confront our ugly tendency to assess another’s worth based primarily on how that person’s needs and desires align with our own.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The ugly scene on a suburban street was a harbinger of skirmishes to come.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
The 1935 to 1936 robust rally was followed by an ugly 39% decline in 1937.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ugly 
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
In season 2, Severance forces both its characters and its viewers to confront our ugly tendency to assess another’s worth based primarily on how that person’s needs and desires align with our own.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The ugly scene on a suburban street was a harbinger of skirmishes to come.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
The 1935 to 1936 robust rally was followed by an ugly 39% decline in 1937.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
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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This woman is just an awful, disgusting person in general.Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
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Regardless of who wins, social media will be abuzz with the postgame mayo shower, which is either good comedy or downright disgusting, depending on your tolerance for condiments getting poured on people.Dan Santaromita, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Newsom has ordered an investigation, but this looks like grotesque mismanagement.The Editors, National Review, 13 Jan. 2025
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Where the r-slur is concerned, one recalls Trump’s grotesque imitation in 2015 of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis, a congenital joint condition.Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But any Three Mile Island-style tech meltdown would come with awful collateral damage.Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
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After missing 27 games with a left hamstring strain, Zion Williamson returned to the court on Tuesday night and provided one of the few gratifying moments the New Orleans Pelicans could savor during an awful season.William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 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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Given this area’s rich history with horrible weather and big events at this time of year, there is still a chance that the Cotton Bowl will be postponed until Saturday.Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
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How horrible for my sweet little nephews to watch their house disappear like this.Becca Longmire, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The once objectively unattractive 53-year-old has drastically altered his appearance with a very obvious hair transplant.Alexandra Bregman, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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While the American food supply is among the safest in the world, the Food and Drug Administration estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually – the equivalent of sickening 1 in 6 Americans each year.Jennie Key, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024
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Los Angeles County is suing the owner of Chiquita Canyon Landfill for failing to control a high-temperature chemical reaction that is cooking garbage and sickening nearby residents.Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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