deplorable

adjective

di-ˈplȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce deplorable (audio)
Definition of deplorablenext
1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust we will not tolerate such deplorable behavior in a house of worship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress condemned the deplorable conditions in which the family was living

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 deplorable Investigators said the children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house under deplorable conditions. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said Houck's son was living in deplorable conditions with drugs within his reach. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 The consent decree over inmate medical care resulted from a 2015 class-action inmate lawsuit filed by the Prison Law Office alleging deplorable jail conditions, including inaccessible mental health and healthcare. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026 The malnourished children were found living in deplorable conditions in a 12-by-12-foot room. — Wsyx Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplorable
  1. pitiful
  2. tragic
  3. lame
  4. unfortunate
  5. cheap
  6. wretched
  7. disgusting
  8. dirty
Adjective
  • Nvidia is the pitiful, helpless giant, now revealed, according to the bears, to have just propped up an ecosystem for its own earnings, with a CEO now revealed to be a dubious character.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Yet Scudder, a progressive thirty-six-year-old real-estate analyst raised by lesbians on a purple-hull-pea farm in East Texas, assumed the post in 2025, and has been in a rush to reverse his party’s pitiful showings.
    — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • The trio also discussed the mental turmoil among Latino youth, highlighting the recent tragic suicides of Samuel Gonzalez Terrones and Xavier Nungaray-Martinez.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The boom in vaccine-preventable outbreaks, cases, and tragic deaths is being fueled by slipping vaccination rates nationwide as health misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiments have taken hold.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • The lame-duck Senate has 22 legislative days scheduled before the new Congress is sworn in.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Trump was trounced, the country triumphed, and the long national nightmare is over, but for the rest of his lame-duck presidency.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • The unfortunate truth is, most of them have lowered their standards in admissions and education.
    — Ian Kingsbury, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Just ask this unfortunate Alaskan bear recently spotted with several multi-foot long tapeworms hanging out of its butt.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • For context, the 27-inch ELF-SR2 sells for around ¥550,000 in Japan, so this is a dramatically cheaper way into Sony's 3D ecosystem, landing in the same ballpark as the $299 Looking Glass Go.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026
  • This year’s conflict has shown the relative ease with which cheap drones can slip past some of the world’s most expensive air defense systems and hit pipelines, ports, and ships.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Francis’ native Argentina, for its part, has had a wretched reckoning with abuse and victims there have been demanding action from the Vatican, including to address cases in which Francis was personally involved.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of wretched
Adjective
  • Not only has the gimmick run stale, but her insistence on upping the ante year after year, creating costumes that are increasingly bizarre and disgusting, is a threat to us all.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The actions of their fans, especially their supporter group, was disgusting.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Floor around the fryers, floor under and around the drive thru drink station and floor under and around stationary equipment is visibly dirty.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Using the same sponge for every surface and spill could be making your kitchen dirtier every time.
    — Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of dirty

Browse Nearby Words

depletions
deplorable
deplorableness
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Cite this Entry

“Deplorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplorable. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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