ugly duckling

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Edith saw herself as the ugly duckling but excelled in ballet.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

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

From BBC • Jul. 18, 2024

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

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

An Australian ballroom dancer makes an ugly duckling his partner and dares in competition to go flamenco.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2021

I definitely fit the description of the ugly duckling in makeover movies, except that those girls were actually gorgeous actresses disguised by poorly framed glasses.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi