LOUSY Synonyms: 338 Similar and Opposite Words

lousy

adjective

ˈlau̇-zē

Definition of lousy

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust why, you lousy cheater!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poor

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory the restaurant served a lousy meal that we shouldn't have had to pay for

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cheap

of low quality a tacky store selling lousy souvenirs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crowded

possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified a Manhattan neighborhood that is lousy with wannabe actors

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 lousy But maintenance fees, restrictions, availability, and a notoriously lousy resale market can turn the cost of access into a headache. — Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026 His Hall of Fame status no doubt took a hit after lousy stints with the Jets and Steelers following his tremendous run in Green Bay. — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 That have to do with overregulation and a lousy business climate? — Katherine Gregg, The Providence Journal, 13 Aug. 2026 He’s made some pretty good moves and some pretty lousy ones during his tenure. — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for lousy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy

Adjective

French cities have been shaken in recent weeks by vandalism and looting sparked by cost-of-living demonstrations, amid a broader crisis besieging the country’s lame-duck centrist government that has spiked French bond yields.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Poetry gets left behind by the exigency of character development or, in the movie’s self-defeating logic, because the art form doesn’t really matter and is only a lame excuse for people who won’t take responsibility and grow up.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

Disease that has spread to those organs is associated with poorer treatment outcomes.

— Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.

— James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.

— Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
The commercial space industry looked forward to abundant, cheap launches.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

California voters face a crowded November ballot packed with questions on taxes, special elections and environmental rules.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2026
In crowded Chaweng Beach, this 26-room hotel’s high style attracts a stream of beachcombers (prepare to show your key to the hotel gatekeeper).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of crowded

Adjective

Yet Scudder, a progressive thirty-six-year-old real-estate analyst raised by lesbians on a purple-hull-pea farm in East Texas, assumed the post in 2025, and has been in a rush to reverse his party’s pitiful showings.

— Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
Just 7% of Democrats approve, along with a pitiful 12% of independents.

— Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

These efforts should be lauded because lawyering solely to please Trump without an iota of reasonableness according to prescribed rules of law to which all lawyers must adhered is simply unacceptable.

— Miles J. Zaremski, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
But critics, like the Civic Federation, are denouncing the budget plan, calling it an unacceptable abdication of responsibility to meet the fiscal realities facing the city.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Browse Nearby Words

lousing up

lousy

lout

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of lousy

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fulsome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes