Etymologically
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ugh

Etymology and origin of the English word ugh

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
1765

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌx/, /ɜːh/[1]

Etymology

It is imitative, of a cough or grunt.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A representation of an inarticulate sound such as a cough: 1765 in the OED and Etymonline;[5][2] MWU has 1678, and the form ough is from the 1560s.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As an interjection of disgust or aversion it is from 1822 in Etymonline, 1837 in the OED.[2][5] The Cambridge pronouncing dictionary notes that many pronunciations are possible, including a velar fricative /ʌx/.[7] Ugh was also a proprietary name for a sheepskin boot (1969).[5]

Timeline

  • 1560s – ough.[2]
  • 1765 – a cough or grunt.[5][2]
  • 1822 – an exclamation of disgust.[2]

Modern meaning

Interjection

  1. Used to express disgust, dislike or annoyance.
  • yuck

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Cite this entry

“Ugh.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ugh. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·