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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 This lousy government insurance doesn’t cover lots of things, which is unfair to the max! Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2025 Apologists might call Sherman’s low spending necessary because the Fish have lousy attendance. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025 On the stock market, a similarly lousy 1.96 (with 25 respondents assigned him a 1 out of 5), and a near equally bad 2.10 for his executive orders aimed at law firms – a direct shot at the rule of law that underpins America’s free enterprise system. Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Not to anyone who has ever sat through a lousy production of the play, perhaps at college, and found the character’s linguistic errors—his trademark—to be about as funny as athlete’s foot. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lousy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • These factors could contribute material risk to Nike’s earnings and put the company in a poor position to manage near-term headwinds.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.
    Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Some cheaper tags don’t have a replaceable battery although some have rechargeable cells.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • With police turning a blind eye, Portland became a honeypot for local and out-of-state addicts to score cheap dope and use it freely.
    Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This sustainable approach stems from her upbringing in a crowded household with three siblings.
    Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • On the other hand, the guest drama actress race is, for now, less crowded.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Look, everyone points to injuries as the reason for the pitiful performance so far this season, but a lot of teams are dealing with injuries.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.
    Riley Beggin, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Any format that builds in a conflict of interest is unacceptable.
    Robert Greene, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Wade has been in a horrible slump since the season started and going in to Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels is hitting .096 (5-for-52) with a homer, seven RBIs, eight walks and an on base percentage of .213.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The Braves desperately need to add a shortstop and some offensive help amid their horrible start to the season.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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