lousier; lousiest
1
: infested (see infest sense 2) with lice
the ragged, lousy tribesmen—
T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence2
a
: totally repulsive (see repulsive sense 3) : contemptible
a lousy way of getting even
b
: miserably poor or inferior
got lousy grades
c
: somewhat ill
felt lousy after dinner
d
: amply supplied : replete
lousy with money
3
of silk
: fuzzy and specked because of splitting of the fiber
Examples of lousy in a Sentence
She got lousy grades in high school.
I like the work, but the pay is lousy.
He was a lousy husband.
They did a lousy job.
He drank too much and felt lousy the next morning.
It's a lousy, rainy day.
That's a lousy way to treat a friend.
Recent Examples on the Web
This is what passes as development these days, and what comes out of the Chad Powers process is mostly lousy, a corporate exercise in content alchemy that plays like a coloring book where the outlines are already drawn.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Earlier in his career, Klein was known, despite lousy grades in math, as a coolly analytical voice on health-care policy and other technocratic arguments.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Both are lousy choices, but one is clearly worse than the other.
—Patrick Eddington, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
Kiley and LaMalfa both stress that this is a lousy use of political time and energy.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
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Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Earlier in his career, Klein was known, despite lousy grades in math, as a coolly analytical voice on health-care policy and other technocratic arguments.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Both are lousy choices, but one is clearly worse than the other.
—Patrick Eddington, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
Kiley and LaMalfa both stress that this is a lousy use of political time and energy.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
Cite this Entry
“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lousy. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lousy
adjective
lousier; lousiest
1
: infested with lice
2
a
: totally disgusting : contemptible
b
: of very poor quality
got lousy grades
c
: somewhat ill
felt lousy after dinner
d
: well supplied
lousy with money
Medical Definition
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