ugly duckling

noun

1. an unattractive or unpromising child who becomes a beautiful or much-admired adult.

ugly duckling

noun

1. a person or thing, initially ugly or unpromising, that changes into something beautiful or admirable

Word History and Origins

Origin of ugly duckling¹

First recorded in 1880–85; after the bird in the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen

Word History and Origins

Origin of ugly duckling¹

an allusion to The Ugly Duckling, a story by Hans Christian Andersen

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

"It is an incredibly difficult thing to go from turning that person from an ugly duckling into a swan."

From BBC

“One can always be the little ugly duckling who sulks in the corner. We know we’ll have lots of those,” the police chief said.

From Seattle Times

The bewitchingly fragrant fruit — a relative of apples and pears — does go through an ugly duckling phase, Walden acknowledges.

From Seattle Times

Despite being regarded as an ugly duckling by the foreign policy establishment, USIA-led public diplomacy efforts played a key role in achieving several important foreign policy objectives.

From Washington Post

“An Alpine Symphony” is something of an ugly duckling in the orchestral repertory — or, given its scale, an ugly elephant.

From New York Times