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ugly

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adjective British English pronunciation: ugly /ˈʌɡli/ 
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adjectiveugly
comparativeuglier
superlativeugliest
  1. 1
    someone who is ugly has a face that is unpleasant to look at. Ugly is an unkind word, so people often use the word plain instead, to avoid causing offence

    The other man was hideously ugly.

    She won’t wear T-shirts because she thinks her arms are ugly.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  uglyThesaurus entry for this meaning of ugly
    1. a.
      something that is ugly is unpleasant to look at

      an ugly concrete bridge

      Do you think its frame makes the picture look ugly?

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  uglyThesaurus entry for this meaning of ugly
  2. 2
    very unpleasant

    an ugly rumour

    ugly racist propaganda

    the ugly face of something (=the unpleasant aspect of it):

    Critics have described the policy as the ugly face of Republicanism.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  uglyThesaurus entry for this meaning of ugly
  3. 3
    an ugly situation involves violent or angry behaviour

    There were ugly scenes following the match.

    an ugly confrontation

    turn ugly (=become unpleasant):

    The situation turned ugly when one of the police officers was hit by a rock.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  uglyThesaurus entry for this meaning of ugly

derived word

ugliness

noun [uncountable]
See also

This is the British English definition of ugly. View American English definition of ugly.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

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