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ugly duckling


n.

One that is considered ugly or unpromising at first but has the potential of becoming beautiful or admirable in maturity.

[After The Ugly Duckling, a story by Hans Christian Andersen.]


 
 
Idioms: ugly duckling

A homely or unpromising individual who grows into an attractive or talented person, as in She was the family ugly duckling but blossomed in her twenties. This term alludes to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about a cygnet hatched with ducklings that is despised for its clumsiness until it grows up into a beautiful swan. The tale was first translated into English in 1846, and the term was used figuratively by 1871.

 
WordNet: ugly duckling
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an ugly or unpromising child who grows into a beautiful or worthy person

 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

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