# big enough and ugly enough

> English word · Adjective

## Definitions
1. Mature, grown-up, old enough (with the implication that one can look after oneself and make one's own decisions).

## Etymology
From the notion that youth, especially children, have a more beautiful and endearing appearance, thus maturity ought to make one not only bigger, but uglier too; though, in some cases, the opposite is true (see ugly duckling and its associated fairy tale, which illustrate such a case).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/big-enough-and-ugly-enough