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
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Add in coach Steve Kerr willingly working on a lame-duck contract, and the Warriors could be looking for a new path forward within the year of saying hello to Butler, meaning that smell around Chase Center is one of desperation.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
There are questions to see if Marysol and Alexia are actually twins, but the questions are lame, and their answers are confusing and disappointing.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
My only complaint is that the light blue stripes on the arm look printed, not stitched, which is kinda lame.
—The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
The Democratic state Legislature in New York’s lame attempt to join them in undermining representative government will not work.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 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
Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Add in coach Steve Kerr willingly working on a lame-duck contract, and the Warriors could be looking for a new path forward within the year of saying hello to Butler, meaning that smell around Chase Center is one of desperation.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
There are questions to see if Marysol and Alexia are actually twins, but the questions are lame, and their answers are confusing and disappointing.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
My only complaint is that the light blue stripes on the arm look printed, not stitched, which is kinda lame.
—The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
The Democratic state Legislature in New York’s lame attempt to join them in undermining representative government will not work.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 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
-
The New York Jets season is off to quite the pitiful start.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.—
Anna Halford,
Time,
25 Oct. 2025
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Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Despite possessing some of the world’s largest oil reserves, mismanagement and falling global prices have crippled the economy.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But cattle producers say importing cheaper beef abroad could threaten domestic agriculture in the long run.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Oct. 2025
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Gripen fighters have the reputation of being relatively cheap and easy to maintain and arm, and able to operate in austere conditions – using roads or even dirt roads for runways.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
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McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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In still other situations, lapses in common knowledge can incapacitate people who really, really need to work together.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Leave it on dirty spots for just a minute before rubbing residue away with a soft cloth.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
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Williams has shown the ability to break some long runs and pick up the dirty yards.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Watters said letting visitors toss vegetables through the fence could send the wrong message, normalizing the idea of being close enough to feed a bear.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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New York Giants star rookie running back Cam Skattebo was the talk of the NFL world on Sunday for all the wrong reasons after going down with what appears to be a season-ending leg or ankle injury in the team's Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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