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
Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
That huge war chest would be especially remarkable amassed by a lame-duck president.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
The skills competition is lame.
—Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The lame-duck CEO stayed on for six months, until his contract ended, before the appointment of interim CEO King.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
And Siegfried keeps trying to understand what’s wrong with this goat that its owner claims is lame.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026
That role is currently filled by Kevin O’Toole, a longtime New Jersey politico, who was nominated and approved for another six-year term last month in the waning, lame-duck weeks of former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s term.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
There's nothing watery, limp, or lame about an onion boil.
—Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
And unlike other bread lames that don’t conceal the razor, this one opens and closes for maximum safety.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024
The question is, then, how can two lames convince the girls to look their way?
—Vulture, 6 June 2023
Adjective
Saying the house is like a character too sounds a bit lame.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
That huge war chest would be especially remarkable amassed by a lame-duck president.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
The skills competition is lame.
—Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The lame-duck CEO stayed on for six months, until his contract ended, before the appointment of interim CEO King.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
And Siegfried keeps trying to understand what’s wrong with this goat that its owner claims is lame.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026
That role is currently filled by Kevin O’Toole, a longtime New Jersey politico, who was nominated and approved for another six-year term last month in the waning, lame-duck weeks of former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s term.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
Additional accessories High-end proofing baskets can come with many other helpful accessories like scrapers, bonus lames and even instructional e-books or DVDs.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
There's nothing watery, limp, or lame about an onion boil.
—Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
And unlike other bread lames that don’t conceal the razor, this one opens and closes for maximum safety.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024
The question is, then, how can two lames convince the girls to look their way?
—Vulture, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame
Adjective
-
Gallup reached only 50,000 people, a pitiful fraction of The Literary Digest’s awe-inspiring mailbag.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Broadcasting a racial slur is completely unacceptable and harmful.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Japan formally protested the measures as absolutely unacceptable, calling them violations of international trade practice and demanding their immediate removal.—
Simina Mistreanu,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
New York and other cities are being crippled by a historic storm that is dropping record amounts of snow on the region.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
-
In theory, energetic particles pass through such thin sheets without creating the kinds of defects that typically cripple conventional silicon chips.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Walters was referring to fund managers’ ability to drive earnings through concrete changes within portfolio companies, such as pricing discipline, working-capital improvements and management upgrades rather than relying mainly on cheap debt to chase valuation multiples.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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Inside looked like any other beauty shop—wigs in the back, buckets of cheap sunglasses and door-knocker earrings, a distinct scent formed through the combination of chemicals and natural butters.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the storm will provide another test for the Wu administration, which was criticized for its poor snow removal results following last month’s nor’easter.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The district’s poor spending practices and a broken culture long precede Allen’s leadership, according trustees and other parties.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jenny was traumatized and incapacitated for weeks.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Bhusri and Duffield’s agreement also means that if one of the cofounders is incapacitated or dies, the other gets control of both stakes.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The agency previously had broad authority to regulate this kind of pollution by shifting power generation from dirtier sources like coal to cleaner sources like wind and solar.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Most reporters struggled to cadge a ride to the more distant fronts with the dirty soldiers who kept Franco’s forces at bay.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The pursuit ended after Nipp turned off his headlights and drove into the wrong lane in an attempt to lose the officers.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
21 Feb. 2026
-
What’s wrong with being uncomfortable and plowing through demanding texts that challenge us to think about bygone times, far-off places and painful emotions, poignantly expressed?—
Patricia Steckler,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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