ug ‧ ly S3 /ˈʌɡli/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative uglier , superlative ugliest )
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: uggligr 'frightening' , from uggr 'fear' ]
1 . extremely unattractive and unpleasant to look at SYN hideous OPP beautiful :
a very ugly man
the ugliest building in town
Nick’s dog is as ugly as sin (=very ugly) .
2 . used to describe a situation which is very bad or violent, and which makes you feel frightened or threatened:
There were ugly scenes as rival gangs started attacking each other.
an ugly incident
3 . ugly ideas, feelings, remarks etc are unpleasant:
Jealousy is an ugly emotion.
ugly rumors
4 . ugly duckling someone who is less attractive, successful etc than other people, but who becomes beautiful and successful later
—ugliness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ ugly very unpleasant to look at - used about people, objects, and buildings:
She thinks she's ugly but she's not.
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an ugly block of flats
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cheap ugly furniture
▪ unattractive not pleasant to look at. Unattractive sounds more formal and less strong than ugly :
an unattractive modern town which was built during the 1960s
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Women found him unattractive.
▪ unsightly formal not pleasant to look at, and spoiling the appearance of something:
Unsightly red spots started to appear on her face.
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The windows have been blocked off with unsightly metal bars.
■ extremely ugly
▪ hideous extremely ugly:
His hideous face twisted into a smile.
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a hideous concrete shopping centre
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a hideous monster
▪ repulsive extremely ugly, especially in a way that makes you want to look away:
His appearance was so repulsive he had to wear a mask.
▪ grotesque extremely ugly in a strange or unnatural way:
A grotesque figure appeared out of the darkness.
▪ an eyesore ( also a blot on the landscape ) noun [singular] something that is so ugly that it spoils the appearance of an area:
Local residents regard the new office building as an eyesore.
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I think wind turbines are a blot on the landscape - why can't people just use less electricity?