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as in poor
falling short of a standard I actually play a pretty lousy game of tennis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 lousy Kiley and LaMalfa both stress that this is a lousy use of political time and energy. Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025 That’s not a bad departure from a lousy 0-2 start on the road. Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025 Way too cheap, our margins are lousy, you guys are idiots. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025 South Florida has lived these lousy afternoons all week — and Friday’s forecast calls for more of the same. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lousy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy
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
Adjective
  • The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.
    James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
  • As has Mark Flekken, the new goalkeeper, who moved from Brentford and is fortunate not to have lost his place due to poor form.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The heiress was involved in a terrible car accident in 1929, which left her with life-long medical issues.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
  • And keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, once Alisson’s backup with Liverpool, has improved after a terrible start.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • With the shutdown, people who would've come in to shop are opting to stay home or do something cheaper, according to him.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2025
  • For decades, candy corn was thought of as a cheap, year-round candy all children could enjoy.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But as the calendar grew more crowded around the year-end holidays, studios started relying on off-peak months and began opening higher-profile films in October.
    Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Since no primary election was held to narrow the field, a crowded field of 16 Democratic, Republican, and independent candidates is set to appear on voters' ballots.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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
  • Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.
    Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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