ugh

ugh — exclamation

1. said when you find something extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or annoying — oft

1.exclamation
Definition

said when you find something extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or annoying — often used as a single-word exclamation on its own

Example

Ugh, this cheese is covered in green mold—I should have thrown it out.

expresses disgust at spoiled or moldy food

Ugh, my phone battery died again before I finished the call.

expresses frustration at a common annoyance

Synonyms
  • yuck

    more specific to disgust from taste or smell; less common for general annoyance

  • eww

    softer and more informal; often used by younger speakers reacting to something mildly unpleasant

Usage Note

Ugh is a natural sound rather than a formal word. It is typically written with an exclamation mark and used casually in speech, text messages, and informal writing.

Etymology

English

Ugh is believed to have entered English around the 1500s as a written representation of the guttural grunt people make when they see, taste, or smell something horrible. It belongs to a family of sound-words (like 'yuck' and 'eww') that are invented from the mouth rather than borrowed from other languages.