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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
  • 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
  • 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
  • The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • With wintry weather and crowded airports, Thanksgiving travel can already be stressful.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • With a release on just over 2,000 screens, that's a pitiful per-theater-average of $649.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.
    Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025
  • 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
  • The New York native collected Golden Globe and Spirit awards for her performance as the title character, an aging Czechoslovakian actress forced to take a stand-in job in a horrible off-Broadway play, in Anna.
    Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Gano opening up about this comes on a horrible day for the football world after Dallas Cowboys second-year linebacker Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide at the age of 24.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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