lousy

adjective \ ˈlau̇-zē \

Definition of lousy

lousier; lousiest

1 :infested (see infest 2) with lice

the ragged, lousy tribesmen
—T. E. Lawrence

2 a :totally repulsive (see repulsive 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

—

lousily

play \ˈlau̇-zə-lē\ adverb

—

lousiness

play \ˈlau̇-zē-nəs\ noun

See lousy defined for English-language learners

See lousy defined for kids

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 of lousy from the Web

Even though her a 60-year career in show business was built on comedy routines and jokes which made fun of her lousy cooking and dread of cleaning and raising children, nothing could be further from the truth about the real Phyllis.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Century celebration for funny friend Phyllis Diller," 25 Aug. 2017
After all, if the food is lousy, what’s the point of the rest of it?

— suzanne loudermilk, baltimoresun.com, "How we picked the 50 best restaurants," 23 Aug. 2017
Their task force with the Sands aboard gets caught offguard and vulnerable because the Greyjoys are lousy at situational awareness.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Getting medieval: A military analysis of Game of Thrones’ Westeros War," 10 Aug. 2017
McCain is a war criminal and, more to the point. someone who as a politician has championed horrifying actions and been lousy on state commitment to public health.

— gary warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SDSU professor under fire for McCain comment," 2 Aug. 2017
Cage the Elephant's Matt Shultz was an encyclopedia of wildly entertaining rock star poses but the band's set suffered terribly from lousy sound that was 90-percent busted tweeter.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "5 things you missed at the Forecastle Festival," 15 July 2017
Buying South African mining stocks as a way to invest in PGMs has proved a lousy investment in the past six years, with a gauge of share prices plunging 73 percent as the industry battles low platinum prices and rising costs.

— eddie van der walt, Bloomberg.com, "Best-Performing Metals as Hard to Trade as They Are to Find," 13 July 2017
When the second half begins Friday, the Cubs will be at Camden Yards to face the Orioles, who also struggled in the first half with a 42-46 record and lousy starting pitching.

— the baltimore sun, baltimoresun.com, "Cubs come to Baltimore having traded for left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana from White Sox," 13 July 2017
Ken Griffey Jr. – perhaps the last breakout baseball persona – used to complain all the time that baseball did a lousy job of marketing its sport.

— larry stone, The Seattle Times, "All-Star Game shows off MLB’s best, but what must it do to prevail in new generation?," 11 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of lousy

14th century

lousy Synonyms

Synonyms

cheap, cruddy, deplorable, despicable, dirty, grubby, lame, contemptible, mean, nasty, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched

Antonyms

admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy

Near Antonyms

high-minded, honest, honorable, noble, principled, redoubtable, reputable, right-minded, scrupulous, upright; ethical, good, moral, right, righteous, virtuous

LOUSY Defined for English Language Learners

lousy

adjective

Definition of lousy for English Language Learners

: bad or poor : of poor quality : not good or skillful
: not well or healthy
: not happy or pleased

LOUSY Defined for Kids

lousy

adjective \ ˈlau̇-zē \

Definition of lousy for Students

lousier; lousiest

1 :bad 1

I had a lousy time.

2 :deserving disgust or contempt

That lousy liar!

Medical Dictionary

lousy

adjective \ ˈlau̇-zē \

medical Definition of lousy

lousier; lousiest

:infested with lice

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lousy Synonyms

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LOUSY Defined for English Language Learners

lousy

Definition of lousy for English Language Learners

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