as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
sent over a couple of hulking plug-uglies to rough up the store owner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plug-ugly
Noun
-
The 18th Street thugs then attacked a second victim with large wooden planks, causing lacerations that required sutures.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025 -
Plus, she wasn’t forced to live in a remote jungle compound surrounded by gun-toting thugs, because no one was coming after her.—
Sam Kelly,
Time,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and reinvented himself as a villain, forming the New World Order (nWo) and ushering in a new era of edgy storytelling.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
-
The film is currently filming in London with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind the highest-grossing MCU movies ever, back behind the camera; Downey now playing the chief villain; and a slew of stars from the lost era of Fox's X-Men movies reprising their roles for the first time in years.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Ineffably, Renko’s qualities of solidity and rebelliousness bring my father back to me, and the whole 11-book series, set mostly in Russia (with excursions to Cuba and the Arctic Circle), is a galloping wonder, full of apparatchiks, spies, oligarchs, gangsters, and murders galore.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
16 July 2025
-
Aside from the already extraordinary tale of the O’Leary clan, Jim O’Leary led a life of adventure as a main cog for the city’s infamous gambling operations at a time when gangsters battled over control of the Prohibition liquor trade.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Betty Ann Tomlinson, 50, was charged Thursday afternoon with arson, conspiracy to commit arson and assisting a criminal.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
12 July 2025
-
Genetic genealogy: Building the family tree of a serial killer Retiree Barbara Rae-Venter never anticipated that her hobby of researching her family tree would lead to the capture of one of the most notorious criminals in California, the Golden State Killer.—
David Morgan
July 11,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
In the clip above, Ellis’ Titch and Karanja’s Wash board a pirate ship under less-than-ideal circumstances.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
14 July 2025
-
Just got back today’s newest results and considering some misadventures in the past this 66 year old pirate ship looks ready to go back to sea.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Ten years later, Jack and Jackie fell in love—and two months later, Jack was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Dallas, Texas.—
Rachel Burchfield,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
After 50-plus years behind bars, Houten walked out in 2023. — In 2022, Newsom rejected the release of Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan — which parole commissioners had recommended.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
Sir Jimmy Crystal gives deeply unsettling vibes from the get-go, and while his bizarre gang of hoodlums do save Spike’s life, it’s implied that Spike may have wandered into a much worse situation.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Critics say police gave up when the rioting erupted in 1992, letting big chunks of the city burn while looters and hoodlums ruled.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
The film, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, follows a group of seven samurai warriors who save a little village from annihilation at the hands of a group of bandits in 15th-century Japan.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
22 July 2025
-
Riri joins their band of bandits — hacker Slug (Shea Couleé), pyrotechnic master Clown (Sonia Denis), enforcers Jeri (Zoe Terakes) and Roz (Shakira Barrera) aka the Blood Siblings.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Plug-ugly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plug-ugly. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share