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

Relevance

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

As Trump slides toward lame-duck status, cleavages within the group and between it and traditional progressives are becoming more salient. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026 The next big issue for me was that Axl shimmied from side to side with an unusual snakelike move that struck me as effeminate and lame. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 The nearly unprecedented circumstances tied Suzuki to Minasian, who was a lame-duck GM at the time. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Kanal has borne the brunt of these rifts and was kept in financial limbo during those nearly two lame-duck years. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lame

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame

Adjective

Just 7% of Democrats approve, along with a pitiful 12% of independents.

— Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Herbert's six interceptions is only surpassed by Drake Maye's pitiful start to the season.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

The idea of not spending evenings with my kid is, kids are, is completely unacceptable.

— Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.

— Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Adjective

Investors now see access to cheap and reliable power as a precondition for European companies to compete long-term.

— Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Telehealth sites hit their first jackpot in the 2010s, when Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction came off patent, allowing for the sale of cheaper generics.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Verb

According to the suit, Jane Doe was beset by seven men while she was incapacitated by drugs and alcohol.

— Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors allege Freire raped one of the women while she was incapacitated, took photographs of the unconscious roommates and shared the images with others.

— Alice Gainer, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of incapacitate

Adjective

The concentration of quaternary ammonia in the bucket with sanitizer is low (<100 ppm) and the water is visibly dirty.

— NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Many of the strongest initial applications are the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks that go unfilled, contribute to injuries, and pull people away from higher-value judgment and exception handling.

— Navin Chaddha, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026