| [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Old Norse uggligr, from uggr fear; akin to Old Norse ugga to [[fear]] | | [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Old Norse uggligr, from uggr fear; akin to Old Norse ugga to [[fear]] |
− | '''Ugliness''' is a [[property]] of a [[person]] or [[thing]] that is unpleasant to look upon and results in a highly unfavorable [[evaluation]]. To be ugly is to be [[aesthetically]] unattractive, repulsive, or [[offensive]]. Like its [[opposite]], [[beauty]], ugliness involves a [[subjective]] [[judgment]] and is at least partly in the "eye of the beholder." Thus, the [[perception]] of ugliness can be mistaken or short-sighted, as in the story of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duckling ''The Ugly Duckling''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen Hans Christian Andersen]. | + | '''Ugliness''' is a [[property]] of a [[person]] or [[thing]] that is unpleasant to look upon and results in a highly unfavorable [[evaluation]]. To be ugly is to be [[aesthetically]] unattractive, repulsive, or [[offensive]]. Like its [[opposite]], [[beauty]], ugliness involves a [[subjective]] [[judgment]] and is at least partly in the "eye of the beholder." Thus, the [[perception]] of ugliness can be mistaken or short-sighted, as in the story of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duckling ''The Ugly Duckling''] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen Hans Christian Andersen]. |
| Although ugliness is normally viewed as a [[visible]] characteristic, it can also be an internal [[attribute]]. For example, an [[individual]] could be outwardly [[attractive]] but inwardly thoughtless and [[cruel]]. It is also possible to be in an "ugly [[mood]]," which is a temporary, internal state of unpleasantness. | | Although ugliness is normally viewed as a [[visible]] characteristic, it can also be an internal [[attribute]]. For example, an [[individual]] could be outwardly [[attractive]] but inwardly thoughtless and [[cruel]]. It is also possible to be in an "ugly [[mood]]," which is a temporary, internal state of unpleasantness. |
− | For some people, ugliness is a central aspect of their [[persona]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre] had a lazy eye and a bloated, asymmetrical face, and he attributed many of his [[philosophical]] [[ideas]] to his life-long [[struggle]] to come to terms with his self-described ugliness. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates Socrates] also used his ugliness as a [[philosophical]] touch point, concluding that philosophy can save us from our outward ugliness. [[Famous]] in his own time for his [[perceived]] ugliness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln Abraham Lincoln] was described by a contemporary: "to say that he is ugly is nothing; to add that his figure is [[grotesque]], is to convey no adequate impression." However, his looks proved to be an [[asset]] in his [[personal]] and [[political]] [[relationships]], as his law partner [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herndon_(lawyer) William Herndon] wrote, "He was not a pretty man by any means, nor was he an ugly one; he was a homely man, careless of his looks, plain-looking and plain-acting. He had no pomp, display, or [[dignity]], so-called. He appeared [[simple]] in his carriage and bearing. He was a sad-looking man; his [[melancholy]] dripped from him as he walked. His [[apparent]] gloom impressed his friends, and created [[sympathy]] for him - one means of his great success." | + | For some people, ugliness is a central aspect of their [[persona]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre] had a lazy eye and a bloated, asymmetrical face, and he attributed many of his [[philosophical]] [[ideas]] to his life-long [[struggle]] to come to terms with his self-described ugliness. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates Socrates] also used his ugliness as a [[philosophical]] touch point, concluding that philosophy can save us from our outward ugliness. [[Famous]] in his own time for his [[perceived]] ugliness, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln Abraham Lincoln] was described by a contemporary: "to say that he is ugly is nothing; to add that his figure is [[grotesque]], is to convey no adequate impression." However, his looks proved to be an [[asset]] in his [[personal]] and [[political]] [[relationships]], as his law partner [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herndon_(lawyer) William Herndon] wrote, "He was not a pretty man by any means, nor was he an ugly one; he was a homely man, careless of his looks, plain-looking and plain-acting. He had no pomp, display, or [[dignity]], so-called. He appeared [[simple]] in his carriage and bearing. He was a sad-looking man; his [[melancholy]] dripped from him as he walked. His [[apparent]] gloom impressed his friends, and created [[sympathy]] for him - one means of his great success." |