1
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
why, you lousy cheater!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
falling short of a standard
I actually play a pretty lousy game of tennis
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the restaurant served a lousy meal that we shouldn't have had to pay for
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4
as in cheap
of low quality
a tacky store selling lousy souvenirs
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5
as in crowded
possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified
a Manhattan neighborhood that is lousy with wannabe actors
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of lousy
Having a lousy year does have its benefits.
—
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Also, sorry, but Marcello’s outfit looks so lousy here.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Has Depp gotten better at making movies after a string of lousy attempts to reenter Hollywood?
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
But Time’s big annual event came on a lousy day for the industry.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Also, sorry, but Marcello’s outfit looks so lousy here.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Has Depp gotten better at making movies after a string of lousy attempts to reenter Hollywood?
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
But Time’s big annual event came on a lousy day for the industry.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy
Adjective
-
The flowers are the best, even if the leaves are lame and flop over.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Ministry of Environment blamed this year’s surge on a poor acorn harvest – which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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History is full of cases where great bands make terrible records, yet history stands speechless at what the Clash accomplished here.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Chinese retailer, known for its range of cheap ultra-fast-fashion clothing and criticisms of its labor and environmental practices, is nestled on the sixth floor of a more than century-old building in Paris, a city famous for high-end fashion and a recent green push.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Wearing a well-fitting, high-quality mask in crowded indoor spaces also can reduce the risk of contracting respiratory infections or spreading your illness to others.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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With wintry weather and crowded airports, Thanksgiving travel can already be stressful.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Here in his pitiful, mini Gaza where reasoning and logic struggle futilely.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
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Instead Tripp comes across as simultaneously pitiful and predatory, a fine line that Paulson was able to walk straight to the year-round Christmas store.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
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Hufanga deemed that first-quarter Jeanty touchdown unacceptable because any touchdown is unacceptable at this point to Denver’s defense.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
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Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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