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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

ugly

/ˈʌɡli/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does ugly mean?

adjective

  1. Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.
  2. Displeasing to the ear or some other sense.
  3. Offensive to one's sensibilities or morality.
More meanings (7)

adjective

  1. Ill-natured; crossgrained; quarrelsome.
  2. (derogatory, figuratively) Unpleasant; disagreeable; likely to cause trouble or loss.

noun

  1. (slang) Ugliness.
  2. (slang) An ugly person or thing.
  3. (informal) Any product whose size and shape prevents it from fitting neatly on a pallet.
  4. (dated, informal) A shade for the face, projecting from a bonnet.

verb

  1. To make ugly (sometimes with up).

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈʌɡli/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Thea glared round her at the crowds, the ugly, sprawling streets, the long lines of lights, and she was not crying now.
Willa CatherThe Song of the LarkProject Gutenberg ebook #44
“Just imagine how you would feel if somebody told you to your face that you were skinny and ugly,” pleaded Anne tearfully.
L. M. (Lucy Maud) MontgomeryAnne of Green GablesProject Gutenberg ebook #45
More book examples (3)
“What man would oppose a girl, or dare to harm her? And there is not an ugly face in my entire Army.”
L. Frank (Lyman Frank) BaumThe Marvelous Land of OzProject Gutenberg ebook #54
She bit her lip and turned away, but not before I saw the black and ugly scowl she turned upon Dejah Thoris.
Edgar Rice BurroughsThe gods of MarsProject Gutenberg ebook #64
Freckles stepped back, glaring at Wessner, but suddenly the scowl of anger and the ugly disfiguring red faded from the boy's face.
Gene Stratton-PorterFrecklesProject Gutenberg ebook #111