LAME Synonyms: 322 Similar and Opposite Words

lame 1 of 2

adjective

ˈlām

Definition of lame

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

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

lame

2 of 2

verb

as in to cripple

to cause severe or permanent injury to we were afraid that the horse would be lamed by its horrible fall

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 lame

Adjective

The lame-duck session will likely focus on whether an agreement can be reached on an overall bill to fund the government, with an expiration of December 11. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 Post-election powers Keisha Lance Bottoms has a message for Republicans who might be tempted to limit her powers in a lame-duck special session if the Democrat wins the race for governor in November. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026 President John Adams, after losing his 1800 reëlection bid, used his lame-duck period to fill the judiciary with sympathizers. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 But my favorite Tim Curry performance will always be Pennywise, the clown in Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which, compared to Andy Muschietti’s mega popular pair of films, is modest, even a little lame. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lame

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame

Adjective

Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.

— Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

Immigrant and human-rights advocates called the situation unacceptable, particularly given the dangers facing returning Haitians, including gang killings and surging kidnappings.

— Gérard Maxineau, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s an unacceptable delay for units in active combat operations.

— Nir Goldstein, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Verb

Then, after becoming Trojans AD in August 2010, he was tasked with moving the athletic department past crippling NCAA sanctions.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Young men and women went overseas, on orders of presidents, to try to cripple and kill the enemy and its enablers in foreign lands.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of cripple

Adjective

JetKVM Smaller, cheaper and now wireless JetKVM Mini will come in two versions.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2026
Wolk expressed confidence that J & J can continue growing through future patent expirations, which allow cheaper competition to erode sales of blockbuster drugs.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Renovation will only yield temporary improvement unless the original cause of a poor-quality lawn is remedied.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
The consequences of a poor performance in the takeaway department sets a very high standard for rookies, something that can only bode well for the future.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of poor

Verb

Reeger became a hero after taking out several Klingon cruisers at the Battle of Zeta Reticuli, but he was actually incapacitated at the time and took the credit for George's heroic actions, stalling Kirk Sr's career in the process.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Prosecutors offered evidence Millete asked for hexes that would injure or incapacitate his wife, NBC San Diego reported.

— Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of incapacitate

Adjective

Cans, water containers, mattresses and crosses - seeming evidence of the home's former Christian occupants — lay scattered across a dirty room.

— Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
The lingerers brought their dirty dishes to the bus tub, wiped their mouths one last time with a napkin, and waved to Cleo, their faces saying, Nice job!

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Who wouldn’t like to whip out a formula that enabled you to judge this action as evil and the other as merely wrong?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
The helicopter, which was used by NBC and Telemundo, crashed about two hours after police say Rios drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down a busy avenue, ran a red light and struck a vehicle before hitting the bus.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026