ugly

ug|ly [ `ʌgli ] adjective **

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 offense:

The other man was hideously ugly.

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

as ugly as sin (=extremely ugly): She was rich and powerful and ugly as sin.

a ) something that is ugly is unpleasant to look at:

an ugly concrete bridge

Do you think the rust makes the picture look ugly?

2. ) an ugly situation involves violent or angry behavior:

There were ugly scenes following the game.

an ugly confrontation

turn ugly (=become unpleasant): The situation turned ugly when one of the police officers was hit by a rock.

3. ) very unpleasant:

an ugly rumor

ugly racist propaganda

the ugly face of something (=the unpleasant aspect of it): Critics have described the policy as the ugly face of Republicanism.

something rears/raises its ugly head INFORMAL

used for saying that something unpleasant starts to appear or happen:

The problem reared its ugly head again a few weeks later.

╾ ug|li|ness noun uncount