ugly ducklings
Unpromising young things
Ugly ducklings is the plural of ugly duckling, someone or something initially dismissed as unattractive or unpromising that later becomes beautiful or successful.
The phrase comes from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about a homely bird that matures into a swan: She was the ugly duckling of the family, but look at her now.
- late bloomerOne who matures slowly
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- hidden gemUnderappreciated find
- diamond in the roughUnrefined person with potential
- misfitOne who doesn't fit in
swan · reevaluation · misjudgment · phoenix · fable · molting · blossoming · awkward phase · black sheep · underdog story · metamorphosis · chrysalis · prejudice · redemption · self-discovery · personal growth · Hans Christian Andersen · fairy tale
ugly ducklingsfallen angels
Heavenly beings expelled below
child prodigies · early bloomers · has-beens · burnouts · wunderkinder
ugly ducklingsgolden boys
Favored, promising young men
golden girls · chosen ones · popular kids · teacher's pets · favorites
ugly, duckling, uglier, ugliest, ugliness, duck, ducks, ducked, ducking