adj
ugly
UHG-lee
adj
1
Unpleasant to look at; not attractive.
"The old warehouse was an ugly grey block on the waterfront."
"She thought the wallpaper pattern was hideously ugly."
2
Threatening or likely to turn nasty; hostile.
"The mood in the room turned ugly once the results were announced."
How to Use Ugly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot nice to look at — or, of a situation, tense and about to turn nasty.
Common pairings
ugly duckling
turn ugly
ugly truth
Word Forms
uglier comparative, uglied past tense, uglies plural, uglies singular, ugliest superlative
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Etymology
From Middle English "ugly", borrowed from Old Norse "uggligr" meaning "dreadful, fearsome" — related to the word "ug", meaning dread. The sense softened over time from "frightening" to simply "unattractive".