1
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
Sunday night is often spoiled by the unlovely thought of having to go back to school or work the next morning
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2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an unlovely but efficient little machine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unlovely
The song is unlovely and jagged, the melody’s sweetness repeatedly punctured by the squawks of their habitual bickering.
—
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
From its inception, back in 2012, Mann’s relentless litigation has been marked out by an unlovely mixture of mendacity and egomania.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The place is owned by Jabe Torrance (Michael Cullen), a mean man with an unlovely personality who’s just returned from having surgery in Memphis and seems to be dying.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Perhaps her skepticism showed: A sketch of the conference speakers has the 43-year-old grim-faced beneath a wide, unlovely hat.
—Sarah Watling, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
From its inception, back in 2012, Mann’s relentless litigation has been marked out by an unlovely mixture of mendacity and egomania.
—The Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024
The place is owned by Jabe Torrance (Michael Cullen), a mean man with an unlovely personality who’s just returned from having surgery in Memphis and seems to be dying.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Perhaps her skepticism showed: A sketch of the conference speakers has the 43-year-old grim-faced beneath a wide, unlovely hat.
—Sarah Watling, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for unlovely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlovely
Adjective
-
There are some cool moments here, but the overall effect is unpleasant.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
People did not bathe much in those days and by spreading herbs that released pleasant aromas when walked upon, unpleasant odors could be disguised.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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If his bat is slipping as well, that will be an ugly contract for the Giants.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
13 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
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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
-
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
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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
Adjective
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Some of them include washing with harsh shampoos, particularly those with sulfates or alcohol; overusing scalp scrubs or clarifying products; and not washing frequently enough.—
Jamie Wilson,
Glamour,
16 June 2025
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Unlike many traditional sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate—two common culprits behind coral bleaching—reef-safe formulas skip the harsh stuff in favor of ocean-friendly alternatives that tend to also be gentler on sensitive skin.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
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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
Adjective
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Hatton was talking with reporters, bemoaning a bad break on the 17th ended his chances of winning.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2025
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Bane is a 41 percent career 3-point shooter who, in his five prior seasons, never shot worse than 38.1 percent from deep in a season.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
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But while Burns appeared to solve Oakmont for the day, some players who performed well on Thursday got eaten alive by the nasty course on Friday.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unlovely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlovely. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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