ugly duckling
A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“She was an ugly duckling who grew into a confident woman.”
“As a teenager, he felt like an ugly duckling, but by his twenties he had become strikingly handsome.”
“The awkward, bespectacled girl everyone ignored in school had been an ugly duckling, transforming years later into a celebrated actress whose beauty seemed almost accidental.”
Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.
- 01
beat with the ugly stick
Used to describe someone who is particularly ugly or unattractive.
- 02
fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch
To become extremely unattractive.
- 03
lucky duckling
Synonym of lucky duck.
- 04
ugly American
An American government representative, tourist, or businessperson who, in dealing with people of other nations, is haughty, rude, meddlesome, chauvinistic, or jingoistic.
- 05
ugly customer
Someone or something unwelcome or unpleasant.
Last updated August 10, 2026