UNBEAUTIFUL Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

unbeautiful

adjective

ˌən-ˈbyü-ti-fəl

Definition of unbeautiful

as in ugly

unpleasant to look at a makeshift shelter that was unbeautiful perhaps, but it kept us out of the rain

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unbeautiful Then over the Pont de la Concorde, an unbeautiful bridge that holds great historical significance. — Anna Hartley, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 But it is often done in some very unbeautiful circumstances, for low wages, and in unhealthy work environments. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2022 Buddhism was born under a giant fig tree, which, today, grows at the center of the remote and unbeautiful town of Bodh Gaya, in India’s destitute northeastern state of Bihar. — Paul Salopek, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2019 These things are for the unbeautiful, the uneducated, the uncouth. — Dwight Garner, New York Times, 21 June 2017 Our sound, right now, is going to be the most blatant way of saying things -- the most unbeautiful, realistic lyrics. — Taylor Weatherby, Billboard, 20 June 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbeautiful

Adjective

The bad and ugly, though, has been a long list in years past, but especially in this season.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Hidden truths rear their ugly head, making for an increasingly tense triangle interaction.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ugly

Adjective

The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.

— Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026

Definition of unpleasing

Adjective

Alabama has been busily demonstrating that the reverse is true, following a string of hideous botched lethal injection executions with a series of no less gruesome executions with nitrogen suffocation.

— Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
But then comes the ad, a full-screen photo of a hideous brown leather recliner.

— Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of hideous

Adjective

The film is a wild, frequently grotesque spectacle that careens between horror, action, slapstick, and black comedy.

— Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The bell, sans artist, continues to mark the passage of time, ringing every hour over the pavilion and its guests, a grotesque altar to the ongoing Venetian apocalypse.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of grotesque

Browse Nearby Words

unbeaten

unbeautiful

unbecoming

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“Unbeautiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbeautiful. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unbeautiful

adjective

Example Sentences

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