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
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Your ultra-lame social media posts (with awful production values) don’t cut it by a Colorado mile high.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
How will Brian Kemp use his lame-duck year?
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
But Wilson had been living in the neighborhood for more than a decade and knew there was a hunger for non-lame, noncorporate spaces.
—The Editors, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Is this the world’s coolest Play-Doh or the world’s lamest memeslop?
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
But its mere presence was enough to inspire a righteous rebuke of music industry economics, lousy crowd behavior, and lame dudes in goofy hats.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2025
The dog whose paw was bleeding was lame, effectively useless to him.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
This is about an attempt by the Democrats to make President Trump a lame-duck president.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025
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
His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Your ultra-lame social media posts (with awful production values) don’t cut it by a Colorado mile high.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
How will Brian Kemp use his lame-duck year?
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
But Wilson had been living in the neighborhood for more than a decade and knew there was a hunger for non-lame, noncorporate spaces.
—The Editors, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Is this the world’s coolest Play-Doh or the world’s lamest memeslop?
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
But its mere presence was enough to inspire a righteous rebuke of music industry economics, lousy crowd behavior, and lame dudes in goofy hats.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2025
The dog whose paw was bleeding was lame, effectively useless to him.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
This is about an attempt by the Democrats to make President Trump a lame-duck president.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025
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
-
Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Writer-director Craig Brewer resists the temptation to make Mike and Claire in any way pitiful or worthy of derision.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And this love makes violence and injustice unacceptable.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In a county of nearly 2 million residents, this is simply unacceptable.—
Nan Rich,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In November 2021, while massing troops along its border with Ukraine, Russia threatened to cripple GPS if NATO got in the way.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have designed a new sodium-sulfur battery with higher power density and discharge capacity than before, enabling a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Fentanyl is cheap, compact, and lethal at microscopic doses, produced through decentralized networks designed to survive disruption.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, Flanagan’s grandmother, Nadine Followill, known as Mimi, a smart, strong-willed and independent former office manager, became injured and incapacitated after a series of falls.—
Ben Fenwick,
Oklahoma Watch,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The suspect advanced on police after a roughly seven-minute standoff and officers deployed stun guns, which failed to incapacitate him, according to Minch.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The checklist for cleaning the kitchen was probably just washing dirty dishes, wiping down countertops, and mopping the floors.—
Elizabeth Brownfield,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.—
Shagun Khare,
Martha Stewart,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The candidacy challenge contends that Wilcox used the wrong form to file for office in December and left off information that was required.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
An Amazon driver accompanied by her 16-year-old son came under fire after accidentally stopping at the wrong house in rural North Carolina, according to investigators.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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