gránna
/ˈɡɾˠɑːn̪ˠə/
The Irish word for 'ugly' is gránna.
gránna is used to describe something that is displeasing to the eye or not aesthetically pleasing.
Meaning: displeasing to the eye, not aesthetically pleasing (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
gránna is the feminine singular adjective. It is used to describe a female subject or a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡɾˠɑːn̪ˠə/
Did you know?
- The noun form gráin is used in older literature to describe a sense of 'terror' or 'dread', making 'ugly' a much more heavy and visceral word than it is in English.
- In Irish, the word for 'ugly' can be used metaphorically to describe a situation or a 'bad' quality, much like 'nasty' in English.
- Depending on the dialect, the 'gr' sound in gránna can be much sharper and more guttural than the soft 'gr' heard in the English word 'granny'.
Examples in context
- Níl sí gránna.She is not ugly.This sentence is useful for seeing how to negate the adjective with the form gránna.Tatoeba #2502514 by irish, translation #2502515 by irish
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Conor and Siobhán are looking at a painting.
- ConorAn bhfuil an painting gránna?Is the painting ugly?
- SiobhánNí hea, tá sé go hálainn.No, it is beautiful.
- ConorAch tá an chrás gránna.But the frame is ugly.
- SiobhánTá tú ceart faoi sin.You are right about that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ugly” translations and entries gránna, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gránna, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
