ugly
/'ʌgli/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Unpleasant or repulsive to look at; not beautiful or attractive: "ugly" primarily describes something or someone whose appearance is aesthetically displeasing.
- Morally repugnant or offensive; involving unpleasant or violent circumstances: "ugly" can describe actions, situations, or behavior that are deeply unpleasant, menacing, or reprehensible.
- Threatening or hostile; likely to cause trouble or discomfort: "ugly" can describe a mood, atmosphere, or disposition that is angry, sullen, or dangerous.
Examples of Usage
- Describing Appearance:
- The abandoned building was old and ugly.
- She thought the new sculpture was incredibly ugly.
- Describing Situations or Behavior:
- The argument took an ugly turn when they started shouting.
- The dictator was responsible for many ugly crimes.
- Describing Disposition or Atmosphere:
- He was in an ugly mood after hearing the bad news.
- An ugly crowd began to gather outside the courthouse.
Advanced Usage
- "to rear its ugly head": (idiomatic) for an unpleasant issue or problem to appear or become noticeable again.
- The old problem of corruption has reared its ugly head once more.
- "ugly duckling": (idiomatic) a person or thing that is initially unattractive or unpromising but later becomes beautiful or successful.
- The startup was the ugly duckling of the tech industry before its breakthrough.
Variants and Related Words
- Ugliness (noun): the quality or state of being ugly.
- The ugliness of the war was evident in the photographs.
- Uglify (verb, rare): to make ugly.
- The graffiti uglified the historic wall.
Synonyms
- Unattractive: not pleasing in appearance.
- Hideous: extremely ugly.
- Repulsive: arousing intense distaste or disgust.
- Horrible: causing or likely to cause horror; shocking.
Related Phrases
- Ugly as sin: (simile) extremely ugly.
- That old car is as ugly as sin.
- Ugly customer: (informal) a person who is potentially violent or difficult to deal with.
- Be careful negotiating with him; he's an ugly customer.
Related Idioms
- Ugly American: (often capitalized) a stereotype of an American tourist who is loud, arrogant, and disrespectful of local cultures abroad.
- He didn't want to be seen as an Ugly American, so he learned a few phrases in the local language.
Adjective
- provoking horror
- an atrocious automobile accident
- a frightful crime of decapitation
- an alarming, even horrifying, picture
- war is beyond all words horrible- Winston Churchill
- an ugly wound
- morally reprehensible
- would do something as despicable as murder
- ugly crimes
- the vile development of slavery appalled them
- a slimy little liar
- inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
- a surly waiter
- an ugly frame of mind
- displeasing to the senses
- an ugly face
- ugly furniture