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ugly duckling

noun

Definition of ugly duckling

: one that appears very unpromising but often has great potential

Examples of ugly duckling in a Sentence

The house is an ugly duckling, but it has a lot of potential.

Recent Examples on the Web

 By borrowing a few tried and tested tricks, the industry’s ugly ducklings could turn out nicely. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Beauty Sector’s Uglier Stocks Deserve Second Look," 12 July 2019 Maybe there is a happy ending in store for this ugly duckling hue, after all. — Kelsey Kloss, ELLE Decor, "52 Color Swatches To Match The World's Ugliest Color," 16 Aug. 2016 Did his school chums not know about the whole ugly duckling phenomenon? — Lauren Le Vine, Redbook, "Morning Headlines: Even Superman Worries About His Weight — and More," 30 May 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ugly duckling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of ugly duckling

1869, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for ugly duckling

The Ugly Duckling, story by Hans Christian Andersen

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More Definitions for ugly duckling

ugly duckling

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ugly duckling

: a person or thing that is not attractive or successful but that is likely to become attractive or successful in the future

See the full definition for ugly duckling in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on ugly duckling

Nglish: Translation of ugly duckling for Spanish Speakers

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