low

low

adjective

Definition of LOW

1

being near the equator <we took a cruise to the low northern latitudes>

Synonyms equatorial, tropical

Related Words semitropical (also semitropic), subtropical (also subtropic)

Near Antonyms temperate

Antonyms polar

2

belonging to or characteristic of an early level of skill or development <once considered the latest thing, electric typewriters now look like low technology indeed>

Synonyms crude, low, rude, rudimentary

Related Words basic, simple, uncomplicated; homely, homespun, unsophisticated; early, embryonic, primeval, primordial; backward, underdeveloped, undeveloped; aged, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past, quaint, unmodernized

Near Antonyms complex, complicated, intricate, involved, sophisticated; full-blown, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened; civilized, cultivated, enlightened, refined; contemporary, current, latest, mod, modern, modernistic, new, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, space-age, state-of-the-art, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date

Antonyms advanced, developed, evolved, high, higher, late

3

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank <people, both high and low, have been worshipping in this cathedral for centuries>

Synonyms baseborn, common, humble, inferior, low, lowborn, lower-class, low-life, lowly, lumpen, mean, plebeian, prole, proletarian, unwashed, vulgar

Related Words bourgeois, middle-class; plain, poor, simple, working-class; déclassé, down-market, downscale

Near Antonyms eminent, illustrious, notable, prominent

Antonyms aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, high, highborn, highbred, lofty, noble, partrician, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn

4

feeling unhappiness <I was feeling low, and wanted to do something exciting to cheer myself up>

Synonyms bad, blue, brokenhearted, cast down, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, doleful, down, downcast, downhearted, down in the mouth, droopy, forlorn, gloomy, glum, hangdog, heartbroken, heartsick, heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, low-spirited, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, mournful, saddened, sorrowful, sorry, unhappy, woebegone, woeful, wretched

Related Words aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, worried; despairing, hopeless, sunk; disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited; suicidal; dolorous, lachrymose, lugubrious, plaintive, tearful; regretful, rueful; agonized, anguished, grieving, wailing, weeping; black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, desolate, dismal, drear, dreary, elegiac (also elegiacal), funereal, gray (also grey), morbid, morose, murky, saturnine, somber (or sombre), sullen

Near Antonyms ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, rhapsodic (also rhapsodical); blithe, blithesome, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, lightsome, merry, mirthful; excited, thrilled; hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine; encouraged, heartened; animated, bouncing, energetic, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy; content, gratified, pleased, satisfied; beaming, grinning, laughing, smiling; boon, carefree, careless, cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, unconcerned

Antonyms blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat

5

having a low musical pitch or range <the tuba's low notes made the floor vibrate>

Synonyms bass, grave, low, throaty

Related Words boomy, tubby; gruff, hoarse, husky, rough, smoky (also smokey)

Near Antonyms squeaking, squeaky, squealing, thin; earsplitting, penetrating, piercing, strident; peeping, tinny

Antonyms acute, high, high-pitched, piping, sharp, shrill, treble

6

having relatively little height <the low hedge surrounding the garden wasn't meant to keep anything out, just to look pretty>

Synonyms little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off

Related Words dwarf, dwarfish; compact, petite, slight; diminutive, half-pint, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), pygmy, small, smallish; bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized (also undersize), wee; dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted

Near Antonyms elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept; high-rise, statuesque; gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy; big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize (also outsized), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), voluminous

Antonyms altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering

7

lacking bodily strength <the weeklong bout of chicken pox laid her low>

Synonyms asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, slight, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weakened, wimpish, wimpy

Related Words challenged, disabled, incapacitated, invalid; paralyzed; broken-down, decrepit; impotent, powerless; breakable, flimsy, fragile; dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy; drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out; damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, lame, unsound; resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding

Near Antonyms able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, husky, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile; hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough; fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened; energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized; hale, healthy, sound; capable, competent; convalescing, recovering, recuperating

Antonyms mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong

8

lacking in refinement or good taste <jokes about toilets are generally considered low humor>

Synonyms common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, illiberal [archaic], incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, roughneck, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar

Related Words boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, loutish, ungentlemanly; clumsy, lubberly, lumpish, oafish; inconsiderate, indelicate, insensitive, thoughtless; countrified (also countryfied), provincial, rustic (also rustical), unsophisticated; graceless, inelegant, tacky; animallike, barbaric, barbarous, uncivilized; mannerless, unmannered, unmannerly

Near Antonyms aristocratic, courtly, patrician; elegant, graceful, restrained; considerate, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful; citified, sophisticated, urbane

Antonyms civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bred

9

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency <low tactics of that sort will not be tolerated on this hockey team>

Synonyms base, contemptible, currish, despicable, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, execrable, ignominious, low, low-down, low-minded, mean, nasty, paltry, snide, sordid, vile, wretched

Related Words bad, black, evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, wicked, wrong; cruel, vicious; blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible; corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted; atrocious, villainous; unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous; discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, shameful, unworthy

Near Antonyms ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous; commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right; decent, proper, reputable, respectable, seemly; blameless, guiltless; incorruptible, irreproachable; uncorrupted, unerring

Antonyms high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous

10

not loud in pitch or volume <murmured her answer in a low voice>

Synonyms dull, gentle, low, quiet

Related Words dead, silent, still; calm, dreamy, hushed, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, stilly, tranquil; muffled, muted, softened, toned (down)

Near Antonyms brazen, crashing, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous; grating, harsh, shrill, squealing, strident; clarion, clear, trumpetlike

Antonyms blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, overloud, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing, roaring, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous

11

costing little <gas is low right now, but prices will inevitably rise this summer, when people start driving more>

Synonyms affordable, bargain-basement, budget, cheapie, cheapo, chintzy, cut-price [chiefly British], cut-rate, dime-store, dirt cheap, el cheapo, inexpensive, low, low-end, popular, reasonable

Related Words cheapish, moderate; discount, discounted, fire-sale, lowered, reduced; wholesale; valueless, worthless; supercheap, ultracheap

Near Antonyms increased, inflated; exorbitant, extravagant, overpriced, prohibitive, prohibitory, steep, stiff, superexpensive, ultraexpensive, unreasonable; invaluable, priceless; luxurious

Antonyms costly, dear, deluxe, expensive, high, high-ticket, precious, premium, pricey (also pricy), spendy [chiefly Northwest], valuable

12

of, relating to, or located at the bottom <currently enjoys a low standing in the polls>

Synonyms bottommost, low, lowermost, nethermost, rock-bottom, undermost

Related Words below, lower, low-grade, lowly, nether, under; lowered, low-lying, sunken

Near Antonyms higher, loftier, upper; elevated, escalated, heightened, jacked (up), lifted, raised, uplifted, upraised

Antonyms highest, loftiest, top, topmost, upmost, uppermost

13

not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need <levels for school volunteers remain low, at least compared to what was expected>

Synonyms deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, shy, wanting

Related Words substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory; hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy; bare, mere, minimum; slight, small

Near Antonyms abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plentitudinous; enlarged, expanded, supplemented; abounding, overflowing, teeming; satisfactory, tolerable; lavish, luxuriant, rich; big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, super

Antonyms adequate, enough, sufficient

14

no longer living <thousands of the elderly were laid low by the deadly strain of flu>

Synonyms asleep, breathless, cold, deceased, defunct, demised, departed, fallen, gone, late, lifeless, low

Related Words extinct; dying, fading, moribund; stillborn; finished, lapsed, terminated; inanimate, insensate, nonliving

Near Antonyms animated; dynamic, lively, thriving, vibrant, vital, vivacious; active, functioning, operative, running

Antonyms alive, animate, breathing, going, live, living, quick