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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ugly
Kopech is still in the midst of his rehab assignment, but has hit 101 mph during his time with Triple-A Oklahoma City despite some ugly results (11 earned runs and 10 walks compared to nine strikeouts in just 5 1/3 innings).
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Despite our spending many billions of dollars and regardless of ugly finger-pointing at each other by Newsom and local officials, 187,000 Californians are homeless — a 35% increase in 17 years.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
In the meantime, things took an ugly turn in the eighth.
—Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.
—Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Despite our spending many billions of dollars and regardless of ugly finger-pointing at each other by Newsom and local officials, 187,000 Californians are homeless — a 35% increase in 17 years.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
In the meantime, things took an ugly turn in the eighth.
—Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.
—Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ugly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ugly
Adjective
-
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
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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
Adjective
-
Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
1 June 2025
-
For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.—
Garritt C. Van Dyk,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
Even so, some of Lucy’s pronouncements are so truly awful that a blunt snort of laughter is the only response.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
-
Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
11 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
-
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
-
Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Thus, despite its current very low valuation, American Airlines is regarded as a high-risk investment and an unattractive stock to purchase at its existing price.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
The petals on blooms develop unattractive soft, gray or brown edges.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Queens Botanical Garden’s annual Pride event will feature DJ music, after-hours access to the garden and sickening drag performances by Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
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But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ugly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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