Ugly Duckling
Preserved but no longer current.
An unpromising child who develops into a beautiful and admired grown- up ; from this the term is extended to anything of an unprepossessing nature that may change with time into its very reverse. The phrase is taken from Hans Andersen's story of the ugly duckling that proved to be a cygnet and, to its foster-mother's surprise, grew up into a lovely swan.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Ugly Duckling” mean?
An unpromising child who develops into a beautiful and admired grown- up ; from this the term is extended to anything of an unprepossessing nature that may change with time into its very reverse. The phrase is taken from Hans Andersen's story of the ugly duckling that proved to be a cygnet and, to its foster-mother's surprise, grew up into a lovely swan.
Is “Ugly Duckling” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.