Ugly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈə-glē/ ug·ly

Meaning & Definition of Ugly

Ugly (adjective)

  1. unpleasant or offensive to look at, hideous
  2. offensive or unpleasant to any sense
  3. morally offensive or objectionable

Ugly (adverb)

  1. in an ugly manner

Ugly (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. unpleasant to look at

    "her first attempt at painting was pretty ugly—a portrait of her sister that was not at all flattering"

    similar: grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, monstrous, unappealing, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly, vile
    related: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, gross, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, frumpish, frumpy, plain, unaesthetic, unbecoming, unshapely
    opposite: aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (chiefly British), comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, lovely, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored
    near: shapely, imposing, impressive, prepossessing

  2. causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

    "an ugly suggestion for controlling the overpopulation of deer in the area"

    similar: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening
    related: exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile, off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy, distressing, disturbing, upsetting
    opposite: innocuous, inoffensive
    near: acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory, sweet, welcome, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

Related Entry: Plug-ugly (noun)

Plug-ugly is a different word from Ugly. The synonyms below are for plug-ugly, not for ugly.

  1. a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang

    "sent over a couple of hulking plug-uglies to rough up the store owner"

    similar: bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie, yob (British), yobbo (British)
    related: cutthroat, scoundrel, villain, assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate, pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal, juvenile delinquent, tearaway (British)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ugly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ugly:

grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, monstrous, unappealing, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly, vile, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, foul, fulsome, gross, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ugly

Words with the opposite meaning of Ugly:

aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, lovely, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored, innocuous, inoffensive

Related Words for Ugly

frumpish, frumpy, plain, unaesthetic, unbecoming, unshapely, exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous

Near Antonyms of Ugly

shapely, imposing, impressive, prepossessing, acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable

Word Forms of Ugly

Inflections: uglier, ugliest

Derived words: uglily (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Ugly

Middle English, from Old Norse uggligr, from uggr fear; akin to Old Norse ugga to fear

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Ugly

Words & Phrases Containing Ugly

Ugly American, ugly duckling, plug-ugly, (as) ugly as sin, rear/raise its ugly head

Frequently Asked Questions about Ugly

What does "Ugly" mean?

"Ugly" means unpleasant or offensive to look at, hideous. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: unpleasant or offensive to look at, hideous. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ugly"?

Other words for "Ugly" include grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, monstrous, unappealing, unattractive and unbeautiful. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ugly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ugly"?

There are 99 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ugly". Common alternatives include grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, monstrous, unappealing, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely and unhandsome.

What is the opposite of "Ugly"?

Antonyms of "Ugly" include aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, comely, cute and drop-dead. Near antonyms include shapely, imposing, impressive and prepossessing.

How do you use "Ugly" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ugly" in a sentence: "her first attempt at painting was pretty ugly—a portrait of her sister that was not at all flattering"; "an ugly suggestion for controlling the overpopulation of deer in the area".

Is "Ugly" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ugly" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Ugly" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Ugly" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Ugly"?

"Ugly" is pronounced /ˈə-glē/ and divided into syllables as ug·ly.