1. ugly duckling - Noun
2. ugly duckling - Phrase
ugly duckling (plural ugly ducklings)
(idiomatic) A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful as they mature.
I was the ugly duckling until I reached puberty. Tanya Roberts
I always believed I was an ugly duckling in a family of swans, you know? I was such a black sheep, and it was the same way in high school... I was just kind of that awkward theater kid with a bunch of athletes... it was very 'Glee.' Lindsay Pearce
When I was very young I was the ugly duckling. I had a lot of complexes. My sister was wonderful and I was nothing. Nana Mouskouri
I am not beautiful. My mother once called me an ugly duckling. But,listed separately, I have a few good features. Audrey Hepburn
The ugly duckling is a misunderstood universal myth. It's not about turning into a blonde Barbie doll or becoming what you dream of being; it's about self-revelation, becoming who you are. Baz Luhrmann
Better an ugly duckling from your own village than a beauty from foreign parts. Romanian Proverb