uglier; ugliest
1
a
: offensive to the sight : hideous
b
: offensive or unpleasant to any sense
2
: morally offensive or objectionable
corruption—the ugliest stain of all
3
a
: likely to cause inconvenience or discomfort
the ugly truth
b
: surly, quarrelsome
an ugly disposition
: in an ugly manner
was acting ugly
Synonyms
Examples of ugly in a Sentence
Adjective
an ugly shade of green
They avoided what could have been an ugly situation.
He has an ugly disposition.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Other residents said the towers are ugly and that if the city approves one, it would be obligated to approve additional applications for sites in the park by other communications companies.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Don’t be an ugly sister Victoria Beckham considers the great British tradition of the pantomime to be an annual opportunity for people to come together and poke fun at fashion.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Debate over the bill turned ugly, with supporters claiming those who opposed it were pedophiles, especially online.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024
Her philosophy is to print it out and get it onto a paper page as soon as possible — no matter how ugly the prototype is.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Things take an ugly turn when the fake cops inadvertently run over and kill an Arab man, triggering a firestorm amongst locals.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The ugly matters also hits at a time of celebration of women’s sports.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Advertisement That wondrous postcard had devolved into a portrait of disillusionment, two die-hards wondering how something so historic could turn so ugly so quickly.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
And when things went a little wayward — even when the Wolves were winning ugly in recent weeks — Finch was the first one to call them out.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2024
The most and least trustworthy of the lot The good, bad, and ugly find a new name in politics, the media, and pharmacists.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2024
That Dallas defense is going to be swarming and this could get ugly early.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
My intention was to make Emily a human being who’s flawed, and messy, and has ambitions and desires, and is forced to play ugly to survive in the workplace and in love.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2023
But like, that ugly sobbing of just years of all of this trauma pouring out of my eyes.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 5 Oct. 2023
Auburn might have won ugly, but at least the Tigers didn’t lose badly.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 12 Sep. 2023
The laundromat became the center of the picture’s multiple universes, the site of the emotionally heavy moments that helped turn ugly crying to the movie into a meme.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Although the turbid water might look ugly, restoration advocates and tribal leaders see it as a sign of healing.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Other residents said the towers are ugly and that if the city approves one, it would be obligated to approve additional applications for sites in the park by other communications companies.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Don’t be an ugly sister Victoria Beckham considers the great British tradition of the pantomime to be an annual opportunity for people to come together and poke fun at fashion.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Debate over the bill turned ugly, with supporters claiming those who opposed it were pedophiles, especially online.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024
Her philosophy is to print it out and get it onto a paper page as soon as possible — no matter how ugly the prototype is.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Things take an ugly turn when the fake cops inadvertently run over and kill an Arab man, triggering a firestorm amongst locals.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The ugly matters also hits at a time of celebration of women’s sports.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Advertisement That wondrous postcard had devolved into a portrait of disillusionment, two die-hards wondering how something so historic could turn so ugly so quickly.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Adverb
As Mars and Saturn align, a dispute with a former ally can turn ugly!
—USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
And when things went a little wayward — even when the Wolves were winning ugly in recent weeks — Finch was the first one to call them out.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2024
The most and least trustworthy of the lot The good, bad, and ugly find a new name in politics, the media, and pharmacists.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2024
That Dallas defense is going to be swarming and this could get ugly early.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
My intention was to make Emily a human being who’s flawed, and messy, and has ambitions and desires, and is forced to play ugly to survive in the workplace and in love.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2023
But like, that ugly sobbing of just years of all of this trauma pouring out of my eyes.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 5 Oct. 2023
Auburn might have won ugly, but at least the Tigers didn’t lose badly.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 12 Sep. 2023
The laundromat became the center of the picture’s multiple universes, the site of the emotionally heavy moments that helped turn ugly crying to the movie into a meme.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ugly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ugly. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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