Ugly Definition

ŭglē
uglier, uglies, ugliest
adjective
uglier, ugliest
Unpleasing to look at; aesthetically offensive or unattractive; unsightly.
Webster's New World
Bad, vile, repulsive, offensive, objectionable, etc.
An ugly lie, habit, etc.
Webster's New World
Rude.
Don't be ugly with me.
American Heritage
Ill-tempered; cross.
An ugly mood.
Webster's New World
Unmanageable. Used of animals, especially cows or horses.
American Heritage
noun
An ugly person or thing.
Webster's New World

(slang, uncountable) Ugliness.

Wiktionary

(UK, informal, dated) A shade for the face, projecting from a bonnet.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Ugly

Adjective

Base Form:
ugly
Comparative:
uglier
Superlative:
ugliest

Origin of Ugly

  • From Middle English ugly, uggely, uglike, from Old Norse uggligr (“fearful, dreadful, horrible in appearance"), from uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread") (possibly related to agg (“strife, hate")), equivalent to ug +"Ž -ly. Cognate with Scots ugly, uglie, Icelandic ugglegur. Meaning softened to "very unpleasant to look at" around the late 14th century, and sense of "morally offensive" attested from around 1300.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English frightful, repulsive from Old Norse uggligr from uggr fear

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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