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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deplorable
The leadership turnover comes at a critical juncture, with the county struggling to increase staffing at the jail, which is under a legal agreement with the Department of Justice to improve deplorable conditions there.
—
Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Residents reportedly lived in deplorable conditions at the since-shuttered recovery site, an unlicensed behavioral health center called the Thomas Suites Campus of Care, where there were reports of rampant drug dealing and no running water.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
—David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Terrorizing children because their parents are undocumented is deplorable.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Residents reportedly lived in deplorable conditions at the since-shuttered recovery site, an unlicensed behavioral health center called the Thomas Suites Campus of Care, where there were reports of rampant drug dealing and no running water.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
—David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Terrorizing children because their parents are undocumented is deplorable.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplorable
Adjective
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Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Given that California ranks a pitiful 49th in the nation in the condition, safety and costs of roads and bridges, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2025 Annual Highway Report, taxpayers’ transportation dollars would likely be better spent elsewhere.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Twelve unique individuals recount their lives leading up to and during the tragic events of 9/11.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
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Trotter's tragic death came just months after his son, Giovanni, became cancer free in October, according to Daily Voice.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The band felt embarrassed wearing those lame outfits.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
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Full lame-duck seasons like the one coming up here are rare; and for good reason.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Mikey never ended up doing anything beyond flirting, but his unfortunate turn of phrase was all Sydney needed to begin exploring her options in the villa.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Charlotte Hornets received an unfortunate reminder Friday night in their last home game of the regular season.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Solar energy is still one of the cheapest forms of energy, and energy is in higher demand than ever, partly due to artificial intelligence data center construction.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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This new method uses iron, one of the most abundant and cheapest elements on Earth.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sullivan has run a refreshing offseason, considering his wretched inheritance.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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Working with his regular cinematographer Oleg Mutu, Loznitsa gives this prison — and authoritarianism itself — a sickly luster without ever denying its wretched stench.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This was in itself disgusting but also came to represent the city’s problems.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
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Living under an openly misogynistic president may have felt freakish in 2017, but by his second term, bigotry became yet another disgusting norm.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Prior to that time, a conservative who dared toss the dirty indictment at his or her opponent would face disapproval from all directions, and, of course, condemnation from the legacy media.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
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Knicks fans have grown accustomed to Hart doing the dirty work throughout the past four postseasons, but this is the first time first-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown has gotten to deploy the do-it-all guard’s versatility in the playoffs.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deplorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplorable. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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