ill-favored

adjective

ˈil-ˈfā-vərd How to pronounce ill-favored (audio)
Definition of ill-favorednext
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at an ill-favored and yapping little dog that reminded people a lot of its owner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-favored
  1. ugly
  2. unpleasing
  3. hideous
  4. grotesque
Adjective
  • Without all that, the series misses out on the ugly, earthy, sensual details that could have complicated her past blank innocence.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this season, the Seahawks coach described a dispute with Payton that got ugly enough for Seattle to threaten a lawsuit.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of unpleasing
Adjective
  • Alabama has been busily demonstrating that the reverse is true, following a string of hideous botched lethal injection executions with a series of no less gruesome executions with nitrogen suffocation.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • The zombie is one of the most elastic and grotesque villains in the genre, shifting dramatically from early-Hollywood films built on racial stereotypes to the now-popular vision of a monster that yearns to devour those still living.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The choice of chartreuse — a borderline putrid shade of it, no less — walked an appropriate tightrope between glamorous and grotesque.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of grotesque
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ill-fated
ill-favored
ill-humored
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ill-favored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-favored. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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