Word forms: comparative uglier, superlative ugliest
1. adjective
If you say that someone or something is ugly, you mean that they are very unattractive and unpleasant to look at.
...an ugly little hat.
She makes me feel dowdy and ugly.
Synonyms: unattractive, homely [mainly US], plain, unsightly More Synonyms of ugly
uglinessuncountable noun
...the raw ugliness of his native city. [+ of]
2. adjective
If you refer to an event or situation as ugly, you mean that it is very unpleasant, usually because it involves violent or aggressive behaviour.
There have been some ugly scenes.
The confrontation turned ugly.
...an ugly publicity stunt.
Synonyms: unpleasant, shocking, terrible [informal], offensive More Synonyms of ugly
uglinessuncountable noun
...the subtlety and ugliness of sexual harassment. [+ of]
3. to rear its ugly head
More Synonyms of ugly
ugly in British English
(ˈʌɡlɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -lier or -liest
1.
of unpleasant or unsightly appearance
2.
repulsive, objectionable, or displeasing in any way
war is ugly
3.
ominous or menacing
an ugly situation
4.
bad-tempered, angry, or sullen
an ugly mood
Derived forms
uglily (ˈuglily)
adverb
ugliness (ˈugliness)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old Norse uggligr dreadful, from ugga fear
ugly in American English
(ˈʌgli)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈuglier or ˈugliest
1.
unpleasing to look at; aesthetically offensive or unattractive; unsightly
2.
bad, vile, repulsive, offensive, objectionable, etc.
an ugly lie, habit, etc.
3.
threatening; ominous
ugly storm clouds
4. Informal
ill-tempered; cross
an ugly mood
nounWord forms: pluralˈuglies
5. Informal
an ugly person or thing
Derived forms
uglily (ˈuglily)
adverb
ugliness (ˈugliness)
noun
Word origin
ME uglike < ON uggligr, fearful, dreadful < uggr, fear, prob. < IE base *a-, sharp > Gr akē, a point
Examples of 'ugly' in a sentence
ugly
Talk about the ugly face of capitalism!
The Sun (2016)
It looks ugly and feels sore.
The Sun (2016)
At one point she bursts into tears, insisting she looks ugly.
The Sun (2016)
A lot of the media and news coverage shows the ugly face of life in Syria.
The Sun (2016)
I feel ugly and unloved.
The Sun (2016)
Many people become so panicked they feel ugly and out of control.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Is this racing failing to face some ugly facts?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Pastors want to avoid such ugly confrontations for their families.
Christianity Today (2000)
My character was meant to be ugly and dangerous.
The Sun (2012)
The prison building is as scarred and formidably ugly as the men it houses.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Since then the mood has got uglier for fat cats.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Sometimes you have to look ugly to get the notes.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Final whistle on ugly face of football?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Both players squared up in an ugly confrontation that earned both a booking.
The Sun (2015)
That ugly scar sliced across his hop.
Christina Dodd SOMEDAY MY PRINCE (1999)
If you think it looks ugly then cover it with pine bark flakes.
The Sun (2015)
He made me feel worthless and ugly.
The Sun (2008)
And have you seen my ugly face on it?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The group feasted on steak and caviar washed down with fine wine and vodka before the mood suddenly turned ugly.
The Sun (2015)
And looking ill means looking ugly.
Edith Wharton The House of Mirth (1905)
Plus ugly little Noughties canine in tow.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Plus it's a little bit ugly as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But all this fragrant artifice hides an ugly, dirty little secret.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In the course of it, there were many ugly confrontations between miners and police.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
A few are ugly as sin.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I find it ugly, unpleasant, lacking all sense of proportion.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
ugly
British English: ugly /ˈʌɡlɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If you say that someone or something is ugly, you mean that they are unattractive and unpleasant to look at.
...an ugly little hat.
American English: ugly
Arabic: قَبِيح
Brazilian Portuguese: feio
Chinese: 丑陋的
Croatian: ružan
Czech: ošklivý
Danish: grim
Dutch: lelijk
European Spanish: feo
Finnish: ruma
French: moche
German: hässlich
Greek: άσχημος
Italian: brutto
Japanese: 醜い
Korean: 못생긴
Norwegian: stygg
Polish: brzydki
European Portuguese: feio
Romanian: urât
Russian: уродливый
Latin American Spanish: feo
Swedish: ful
Thai: น่าเกลียด
Turkish: çirkin
Ukrainian: бридкий
Vietnamese: xấu xí
All related terms of 'ugly'
butt-ugly
extremely unattractive
plug-ugly
extremely ugly
Ugly American
a stereotypical representation of an American tourist as a brash and insensitive philistine
ugly duckling
If you say that someone, especially a child , is an ugly duckling , you mean that they are unattractive or awkward now , but will probably develop into an attractive and successful person.
ugly incident
An incident is something that happens, often something that is unpleasant .
to rear/raise its ugly head
If you say that something unpleasant or embarrassing rears its ugly head or raises its ugly head , you mean that it occurs, often after not occurring for some time.
to rear its ugly head rear its head
If something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head , it becomes visible or noticeable .
something rears its head
said to mean that something bad starts to appear or be active