More unpleasant or unattractive in appearance than something else.
From Old Norse 'uggligr' meaning 'fearful' or 'dreadful.' The word traveled through Middle English and originally meant something that inspired fear or disgust, before narrowing to mean simply unattractive.
Vikings used 'ugly' to mean something genuinely frightening and dangerous—the word has ancient roots in real danger! Over time, it softened to just mean 'not pretty,' losing its scarier meaning.
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