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as in poor
falling short of a standard I actually play a pretty lousy game of tennis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lousy Despite the lousy weather, that appearance impressed festival musicians enough to fast-track Guerrero to the top of their director wishlist a decade later. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025 Bundles aside, Spotify needs to take on songwriters’ lousy terms because everyone else is compromised. Jeff Rabhan, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025 Club World Cup gets mammoth final in PSG, Chelsea: The FIFA Club World Cup’s debut as a major 32-team event across the U.S. had its negatives -- notably slashed ticket prices to combat lousy crowds for some matches. Greg Cote july 13, Miami Herald, 13 July 2025 Advertisement So Collins is facing some pretty lousy poll numbers and is going to be dogged by her no vote that had no real upside. Philip Elliott, Time, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for lousy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • Spurred by climate change, Canadian wildfires have increasingly exacerbated poor air quality across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • Of course, poor Michael Landon had passed away way too young.
    Angela Andaloro, People.com, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • If Trump takes Powell’s scalp, most observers warn, terrible things will unfold because of the ballooning national debt.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • But when terrible news arrives about her ex, all eyes turn to Ana — whose reputation isn't exactly sterling.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • Prospect Capital is now the cheapest BDC on the market, trading at just 46% of NAV.
    Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
  • For years, the equation seemed simple: look for the cheapest fare, even if the trip was mediocre.
    Wilson Santiago Burgos, USA Today, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • Develop Personal Relations Through Storytelling In a crowded digital world, the key to genuine volunteer recruitment is building personal relationships and sharing purposeful stories.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • Two incumbents, a former city councilwoman and five others make up a crowded list of candidates vying for at-large seats on the Detroit City Council in the primary.
    Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • Once Bernstein landed on broadcast television, in the mid-fifties, such guides looked pitiful.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
  • The real version of Dave is equal parts pitiful and menacing, seductive and unable to fully pass himself as a normal person.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.
    Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Republicans were more evenly split, with 38% calling it unacceptable and 32% labeling it as acceptable.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Because of Denise Gough's human frailty as a woman destroyed by her own ambition and Kyle Soller's cowardice in the face of a horrible truth.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 July 2025
  • Soak up the gall of losing, absorb the horrible information, feel it to the full, go there—and then rebound, with superb elasticity.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

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