Idiom
ugly American
Meaning
An American government representative, tourist, or businessperson who, in dealing with people of other nations, is haughty, rude, meddlesome, chauvinistic, or jingoistic.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The tourist acted like an ugly American at the local market.”
“He behaves like an ugly American when he ignores local customs.”
“His loud complaints about the local food made him look like a classic ugly American to the other travelers.”
“The diplomat was careful not to act like an ugly American while discussing the new trade laws with the foreign ministers.”
“She feared that her boss would play the role of the ugly American by criticizing the small village's lack of modern technology.”
“By demanding that the local staff speak only English, the businessman embodied the worst traits of the ugly American during his overseas assignment.”
Examples
simple
“The tourist acted like an ugly American at the local market.”
“He behaves like an ugly American when he ignores local customs.”
contextual
“His loud complaints about the local food made him look like a classic ugly American to the other travelers.”
“The diplomat was careful not to act like an ugly American while discussing the new trade laws with the foreign ministers.”
“She feared that her boss would play the role of the ugly American by criticizing the small village's lack of modern technology.”
complex
“By demanding that the local staff speak only English, the businessman embodied the worst traits of the ugly American during his overseas assignment.”
Origin
The term originates from the 1958 novel The Ugly American by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick. In the source text, the titular character is described as physically unattractive but remains morally upright, a nuance that has since been discarded in the wider English lexicon.
Key words
Related idioms
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