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

Eliza was the ugly duckling of her high school, voted “Most Butt” of her senior class.

From The Daily Beast

It's fashionable to lament the status of the novella: unjustly neglected, the ugly duckling of the literary world, etc.

From The Daily Beast

They were an odd contrast—the mother and son—suggesting the homely but immortal comparison of the hen with the ugly duckling.

From Project Gutenberg

No, my dear, you were never an ugly duckling, but what I mean is that you have turned from a fairy into a pretty nymph.

From Project Gutenberg

We all know the story of the ugly duckling, and the little promise which it gave of its future beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

You all know the story of the “Ugly Duckling,” and how, after all, it became a beautiful white swan.

From Project Gutenberg

In the family nest he is the ugly duckling; in the world he is persecuted.

From Project Gutenberg