lousy

adjective

\ ˈlau̇-zē

lousier; lousiest

Definition of lousy

1 : infested (see infest sense 2) with lice the ragged, lousy tribesmen— T. E. Lawrence

2a : 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

Other Words from lousy Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about lousy

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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

The Hornets are in a terrible spot here, thanks to a cascading series of lousy draft picks and bad contracts (all of which had nothing to do with Walker). — Scott Fowler, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte Hornets shouldn’t give Kemba Walker a ‘supermax’ contract. Here’s why.," 3 June 2019 The problem was that most alternative funds posted mediocre to lousy performance — especially when the market was rising — and investors lost interest. — Chuck Jaffe, The Seattle Times, "Don’t give up old investment standards to try new ideas," 18 May 2019 While most companies have set ways of assessing performance, many do a lousy job of sizing up someone’s potential. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "Companies Hire on Potential—If Only They Knew What That Meant," 12 Mar. 2019 Loading a dart, winching back the bows, and taking aim means a lousy rate of fire. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "The Real History of the Ballista, Game of Thrones' Anti-Dragon Weapon," 6 May 2019 By the time the year was done, the gap was enormous; the average investor, by Dalbar’s calculation, was pulling money from their stock funds in 2018, but had lousy timing. — Chuck Jaffe, The Seattle Times, "Lessons lost; investors failed the downturn test of 2018," 13 Apr. 2019 He was designed by the freelance graphic designer Brian Allen; the impetus for creating Gritty, according to this Advertising Week article, was that the son of the Flyers’ COO asked why the team didn’t have a mascot in a city lousy with them. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Gritty’s evolution from googly-eyed hockey mascot to meme to leftist avatar, explained," 24 Dec. 2018 The environment is lousy for Republicans, but keep watching Murphy’s job rating. — USA TODAY, "Corruption trial behind him, Sen. Bob Menendez announces reelection bid in New Jersey," 28 Mar. 2018 President Trump needs to know that Russia is guilty of wasting a whole nation, making 9/11 possible and giving us this present, lousy war. — WSJ, "Trump’s Curious Version of Afghan History," 17 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lousy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.