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
Relevance
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
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
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
At supper the guides exchanged significant glances across the fire and acted like a couple of guys who have picked a lame horse.
—Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2026
The Browns are clearly in rebuild mode, with 2026 expected to be a lame-duck season at quarterback with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting job for a season before the team uses the 2027 draft to select its latest quarterback of the future.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Our lame-duck governor is happily corrupt and no longer answerable to Floridians.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Why should Pritzker or any Illinois politician help this lame-duck mayor?
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.
—Swan Huntley, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Adjective
In November 2008 an errant air strike, conducted under auspices of a lame-duck Bush administration, killed 37 civilians who were at a wedding party in Wech Baghtu, Afghanistan.
—Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
At supper the guides exchanged significant glances across the fire and acted like a couple of guys who have picked a lame horse.
—Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2026
The Browns are clearly in rebuild mode, with 2026 expected to be a lame-duck season at quarterback with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting job for a season before the team uses the 2027 draft to select its latest quarterback of the future.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Our lame-duck governor is happily corrupt and no longer answerable to Floridians.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Why should Pritzker or any Illinois politician help this lame-duck mayor?
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.
—Swan Huntley, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame
Adjective
-
Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Warsh called that unacceptable and kept saying so.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
This proposal is utterly unacceptable.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The fall broke both his legs, crippling him.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 June 2026
-
Candidates whose public image depends on favorable coverage can be crippled by bad headlines.—
Matthew Shelter,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Analyst Seth Seifman said in a note that the stock still isn’t cheap — with Kratos trading at 76 times forward earnings — but notes that investors have been awarding high-growth companies in this sector with elevated premiums.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
-
While countries highlighted in a new report of summer’s top travel destinations may not come as a surprise, the data also revealed ways to get there for cheaper.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
Equating the Holocaust to Gaza is in extremely poor taste.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The lieutenant governor is first in line for succession if a governor is incapacitated.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
-
For example, if mom's alive but incapacitated, the heir legally owns nothing and has zero rights to manage the house.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
There are two freezer martini variations – one with vodka, served dirty and another with gin and a lemon twist.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
-
Wet bathing suits and dirty clothes need somewhere to go once your kid has changed into something dry and clean.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
But the truth may be that Anthropic is wrong about Mythos’ dangers, and that the government is taking a drastic action that could potentially hurt the US in the technology race with China.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
13 June 2026
-
But it was soon revealed that the actors were given the wrong envelope by accountants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the firm charged with counting Oscar votes, keeping the results secret and organizing and handing out envelopes to presenters.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
