ugliness

ugliness — noun

1. the state of being unappealing or displeasing to the eye because of a person's p

1.nounB2
Definition

the state of being unappealing or displeasing to the eye because of a person's physical features, an object's design, or a place's condition

Example

Mayumi was sad about the ugliness of the old factory buildings near her home.

collocation: ugliness of [place]

Sora painted the wall to hide the ugliness of the cracks and stains.

collocation: hide/conceal the ugliness of [something]

Common collocations
  • physical ugliness
  • hide/conceal the ugliness
  • the sheer ugliness
  • ugliness of [place/object/face]
Synonyms
  • hideousness

    Much stronger; suggests something extremely and shockingly ugly

  • unsightliness

    More formal, typically used for objects and places rather than people

  • unattractiveness

    Milder and more neutral; does not carry the strong negative emotion of ugliness

Antonyms
  • beauty

    The direct opposite; the quality of being pleasing to the eye

Usage Note

Ugliness is an uncountable noun. It is far less common in everyday speech than the adjective 'ugly', which learners should master first.

Common Mistakes

The uglinesses of the old town were obvious.
The ugliness of the old town was obvious.
ugliness is an uncountable noun and cannot be used in the plural form.

2. the quality of a situation, event, or interaction that feels dangerous, hostile,

2.nounC1
Definition

the quality of a situation, event, or interaction that feels dangerous, hostile, or violent, creating a strong sense of discomfort or fear

Example

The ugliness of the argument made everyone in the room feel uncomfortable.

collocation: ugliness of [argument/conflict]

Chidi was shocked by the ugliness of the political protests on the news.

Common collocations
  • ugliness of [argument/conflict/violence]
  • the ugly truth
  • pure ugliness
  • the ugliness of the situation
Synonyms
  • nastiness

    Similar strength; focuses more on personal meanness or spite

  • hostility

    Emphasises aggressive feelings or opposition rather than overall unpleasantness

  • brutality

    Stronger; implies actual physical violence or extreme cruelty

Antonyms
  • pleasantness

    The quality of being agreeable and enjoyable

  • civility

    The quality of behaving in a polite and respectful way

Usage Note

This sense is most often used to describe situations, events, or behaviour rather than people or objects. It is common in news reporting and discussions of social conflict.

Common Mistakes

The ugliness of the man scared me.' (if describing a person's violent behaviour)
The ugliness of the man's behaviour scared me.
this sense describes the quality of a situation or behaviour, not a person's appearance.

Word family

  • ugly
    adjectiveA2
  • uglify
    verbC1
  • uglified
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe unpleasant, threatening situations, but they differ in scope and intensity. Ugliness (in this sense) is the broadest — it describes an overall feeling of disgust and threat in a situation. Nastiness is more personal: it focuses on mean, spiteful behaviour between individuals. Hostility emphasises aggressive opposition or unfriendliness, often between groups. Brutality is the strongest: it implies actual physical violence or extreme cruelty. A political rally may turn ugly (threatening atmosphere), but a playground quarrel among children involves nastiness, while an armed conflict between armies involves brutality. Choose ugliness when the emotional atmosphere is the focus, nastiness for personal meanness, hostility for group opposition, and brutality for physical violence.

ugliness ↗nastiness ↗hostility ↗brutality

Common collocations

Phrases

  • the sheer ugliness
  • the ugliness of it all

Prepositions

  • ugliness of [something]

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the suffix '-ness' (which turns adjectives into nouns meaning 'the state or quality of') to the adjective 'ugly'. The word 'ugly' comes from Old Norse 'uggligr', meaning 'frightening' or 'dreadful', which in turn comes from 'ugga', meaning 'to dread or fear'. So the original meaning of ugliness was closer to 'frightfulness' than simply 'lack of beauty'. Over time, the meaning shifted from something that causes fear to something that is visually unpleasant.