1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
that's a pretty lame way to treat someone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the amenities at this hotel are lame; there's not even free Wi-Fi in the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
we were afraid that the horse would be lamed by its horrible fall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lame
Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Our lame-duck governor is happily corrupt and no longer answerable to Floridians.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Why should Pritzker or any Illinois politician help this lame-duck mayor?
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.
—Swan Huntley, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
But through a combination of legal legerdemain and a lame-duck power grab in Sacramento, the Democratic maps went into place anyway.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2026
This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The Browns are clearly in rebuild mode, with 2026 expected to be a lame-duck season at quarterback with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting job for a season before the team uses the 2027 draft to select its latest quarterback of the future.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Our lame-duck governor is happily corrupt and no longer answerable to Floridians.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Why should Pritzker or any Illinois politician help this lame-duck mayor?
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.
—Swan Huntley, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
But through a combination of legal legerdemain and a lame-duck power grab in Sacramento, the Democratic maps went into place anyway.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2026
This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame
Adjective
-
Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The third strand of anti-vaccine advocacy, that compelling vaccine use is unacceptable, is a philosophical claim, not one of fact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
There is, of course, Itaewon, which is historically more associated with foreigners and other outsiders, where all who are deemed unacceptable are accepted.—
Anton Hur,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
However, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller — who lost the recent Republican primary to a candidate backed by Abbott — said the federal response will take too long and risks crippling the cattle industry.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
The protest largely crippled the country’s center, with highways closed and public transportation halted by the massive crowds in both Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv metro area.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Analyst Seth Seifman said in a note that the stock still isn’t cheap — with Kratos trading at 76 times forward earnings — but notes that investors have been awarding high-growth companies in this sector with elevated premiums.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
-
While countries highlighted in a new report of summer’s top travel destinations may not come as a surprise, the data also revealed ways to get there for cheaper.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The second didn’t go nearly as well for Bussi as Karlsson and Howden scored on two of the Golden Knights’ six shots in the period to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the third, the tying goal coming off a Seth Jarvis turnover and a couple of poor defensive plays by Sean Walker and K’Andre Miller.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Heat radiates from the pages of this extraordinary novel about a poor family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The lieutenant governor assumes the top job if the governor is incapacitated or dies.—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
For example, if mom's alive but incapacitated, the heir legally owns nothing and has zero rights to manage the house.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
There are very few hints in art of dogs being dirty, vicious or rabid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
But the truth may be that Anthropic is wrong about Mythos’ dangers, and that the government is taking a drastic action that could potentially hurt the US in the technology race with China.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
13 June 2026
-
But it was soon revealed that the actors were given the wrong envelope by accountants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the firm charged with counting Oscar votes, keeping the results secret and organizing and handing out envelopes to presenters.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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