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Glite Dictionary
to turn ugly

to turn ugly

8 5.1
To become violent or angry suddenly
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : ponerse feo
  • You can't have a civil debate with the man without things turning ugly.
  • when things turn ugly
  • the protest turned ugly
  • the mood turned ugly

So I think before you even know it, if you stay in this, it's going to turn ugly quickly.

Examples

  • A local football rivalry turned ugly Saturday when teens from opposing high schools got into a brawl shortly after a close game.

    Blog text (33)

  • This storm is turning ugly, and if I were you I would stay put.

    Blacktop (2000)

  • So I think before you even know it, if you stay in this, it's going to turn ugly quickly.

    Pretty Basic Podcast

  • I definitely think that they need to come to an agreement real soon before things turn ugly.

    Blog text (28)

  • Still, I can see how this could turn ugly.

    Blog text (21)

  • What happens next is, of course, impossible to predict, but if the recent past is any guide, it could turn ugly.

    Blog text (21)

  • The master reported that farmers all over the region had been similarly devastated, and the mood in town was turning ugly.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • He'd found them at last in some bar in Norfolk, where things had turned ugly fast.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Look, Mr. Desmond, I didn't count on it turning this ugly.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • During the argument, tensions rose until the discussion unexpectedly turned ugly and both sides started shouting.

Synonyms

to go berserk
vsto turn ugly
  • Informal
27 7.7

To become very angry and act out of control

is sudden hostility or unpleasantness rather than only wild loss of control
to turn toxic
vsto turn ugly
6.8

To become very unpleasant and harmful in a relationship or group

is more sudden and can include direct hostility or violence
to turn heated
vsto turn ugly
6.3

Become angry or excited in a discussion

is sudden hostility or violence rather than mere argumentative intensity

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

How Hostile

to turn ugly
8 5.1

Surface Forms

turn ugly infinitive
turned ugly past
turned ugly past participle
turning ugly present participle
turns ugly third person singular

Morphology

turn + ugly

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'turn' (to change into) with 'ugly' (unpleasant or hostile): it literally means 'become unpleasant/hostile'. The pattern 'turn + ADJ' is a common compositional construction and the extension of 'ugly' to describe a worsening or hostile situation is a predictable metaphor, so a B1 learner who knows the words should understand it.

Etymology

Turn ugly gives a simple image: to turn means to change and ugly means unpleasant or violent, like a friendly meeting that suddenly becomes angry. That's why it means 'to become hostile, unpleasant, or violent'.