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
  • 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
  • Just 7% of Democrats approve, along with a pitiful 12% of independents.
    — Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • The death was confirmed via his wife, Nella Vera, who shared the tragic news on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • That legacy has shaped a tragic disparity in Jacksonville, which has three of the 10 worst ZIP codes for child firearm injury rates in Florida, according to an analysis of hospital claims data obtained by KFF Health News and The Trace.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • French cities have been shaken in recent weeks by vandalism and looting sparked by cost-of-living demonstrations, amid a broader crisis besieging the country’s lame-duck centrist government that has spiked French bond yields.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Poetry gets left behind by the exigency of character development or, in the movie’s self-defeating logic, because the art form doesn’t really matter and is only a lame excuse for people who won’t take responsibility and grow up.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 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
  • The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The commercial space industry looked forward to abundant, cheap launches.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • 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
  • Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe.
    — Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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