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
To be herself, to be the swan, to be the ugly duckling no longer—Cap O’Rushes, her disguise thrown off— Cinderella with both slippers on her feet—Snow White beyond the dwarfs—Galadriel Hopkins, come into her own.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
