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unshapely

unshapely

6.7
A person or thing that looks awkward and not pleasing to the eye
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈʃeɪpli/
translation icon : sin forma
  • She felt self-conscious in the dress, as it was unshapely and did not flatter her figure.

Examples

  • The sculpture was criticized for its unshapely form, lacking symmetry and elegance.

  • His unshapely garden gnome stood awkwardly among the neatly trimmed shrubs.

  • It is a little bit more like unshapely going in all types of directions that it being vertical and triangular in nature.

  • Although I have never seen the apartment's new occupants, I have long since deduced from their laundry that they are a somewhat large and unshapely couple.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • This Namkungwi had the patience to teach me to make a rather unshapely pot, but more importantly, allowed me to be initiated in the knowledge of women and the specialized knowledge of potters.

    Academic text (2007)
  • His time was almost up, but he still hoped for some special dispensation in order to escape that fellow who wanders about the villages of his fiord collecting unshapely tin buttons that were to be thrown back into the communal melting pot.

    Fiction book (1997)

Synonyms

unattractive
vsunshapely
37 1.8

Not pleasant to look at or to the senses

narrows this to unattractiveness specifically from poor outline and proportions
unsightly
vsunshapely
15 4.5

Unpleasant to look at

is about unattractiveness caused by poor shape and proportions rather than any displeasure
misshapen
vsunshapely
14 4.7

Not the normal shape and often looking ugly

focuses more on poor pleasing proportions than extreme distortion
ungainly
vsunshapely
4 7.3

Moving or looking awkward and clumsy

centres on unattractiveness from poor outline and proportions rather than awkward motion
unbeautiful
vsunshapely
1 6.2

Not attractive in looks or style

focuses specifically on unattractiveness from bad outline and proportions
unpretty
vsunshapely
1 5.0

Not pleasant to look at or to be part of

limits that plain ugliness to problems of outline and proportion
unshapen
vsunshapely
1 9.6

A thing that has no clear form yet

refers to unattractiveness from bad outline and proportions rather than incompleteness
unaesthetic
vsunshapely
1 8.1

Not pleasant to look at

specifies lack of beauty arising from poor form and proportions rather than taste
ill-proportioned
vsunshapely
6.7

A thing with parts that do not match in size or shape

emphasizes poor overall outline and pleasing proportions instead of just size mismatch
ill-shapen
vsunshapely
  • Literature
8.5

Not in a regular or attractive form

stresses poor outline and proportion rather than general bad formation
deformed
vsunshapely
4.6

Having a shape that is not normal and often looking ugly

describes unattractiveness due to poor proportions rather than medical abnormality
unpicturesque
vsunshapely
7.9

Something that is not pretty to look at, for example a town or view

is about poor physical outline and proportions rather than general scenic appeal
unalluring
vsunshapely
6.8

Not attractive or interesting

is specific to unattractiveness caused by poor shape and proportions

Antonyms

15 3.4

An attractive body or body part that looks balanced

How Shapely

shapely
15 3.4
plain
50 2.5
unshapely
6.7
misshapen
14 4.7

Surface Forms

unshapely positive

Morphology

unshapely = shapely (transparent) = un + shape + ly

Formed by prefixing 'un-' to the adjective 'shapely' so the meaning 'not shapely' is directly predictable.

Etymology

Unshapely is made of un- meaning 'not' and the word shape, which means 'the form of something'; shapely means 'having a pleasing shape'. So unshapely means not having a good or pleasing form and is used for things or people that look awkward or unattractive.