Ugly

/ˈʌɡli/

Meaning & Definition

noun

an ugly person or thing.

He referred to that old car as an ugly, rusted piece of junk.

adjective

offensive or morally bad.

The ugly truth about the situation was hard to accept.

physically unattractive or unpleasant to look at.

She tried to ignore the ugly comments about her appearance.

unpleasant or disagreeable in nature.

The conversation took an ugly turn when they started arguing.

From Middle English 'ugli', possibly from Old Norse 'uggligr', meaning 'fearful, terrible'.

ugly duckling:

A person or thing that is underestimated but later becomes successful or attractive.

ugly truth:

A harsh reality that is difficult to accept.

ugly behavior:

Actions that are deemed socially unacceptable or morally wrong.

Really bad or unfortunate.

That haircut is ugly, it makes you look so different.

Difficult to deal with or challenging.

The situation turned ugly when they started arguing.