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as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band

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 poor Not to mention, a weak back can foster poor posture and the neck, shoulder, and back issues that come along with it. Erica Sloan, SELF, 11 Sep. 2025 One of the Democrats’ biggest problems right now is their refusal to take accountability for their poor performance. Nicole Russell, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 Young people see the issues society faces close up — whether that’s poor mental health or the consequences of inequalities. Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025 However, older people are more likely to perceive poor sleep as a normal part of aging, Carvalho added. Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
  • The walk is presided over by its creator, a mysterious authoritarian figure known as the Major (Mark Hamill) who extolls the sadistic contest as a boon for the spirits of the impoverished American people.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Probably the one that’s best known is the one about how Philomelus, a young, impoverished farmer and herdsman, struggled to push his plow through his fields.
    Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Silksong is steeped in religious imagery — desolate chapels, ringing church bells, even rosary beads that act as in-game currency.
    Keller Gordon, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Her haunting soprano ranged from desolate whispers to expansive belts.
    Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Treat storage as a scarce public good.
    Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Water is scarce, rationed to just three hours a day in some districts, and packs of stray dogs roam the city.
    Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This vile, heartless remark is completely unacceptable—especially from someone entrusted with our children.
    Amy DeLaura, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • What constitutes an unacceptable season for the Yankees these days, and how much does Boone bear responsibility when the team doesn't perform up to those standards?
    Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Over 1,000 murdered whilst queuing for aid, starved due to their siege, whilst pitiful amounts of aid delivered by a sham agency controlled by Israel.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Reunion shows often have a vital, go-for-broke spirit, and this movie does too, in the sweetest possible way.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
  • So to invest in a broke company is beyond me.
    Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The team wasn’t able to completely rule out that TRAPPIST-1e is a barren rock like its inner siblings, however, partly because of interference from its hyperactive star.
    Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The local Rite Aid was getting ready to shut down, with barren shelves and 75% off all items, while commerce elsewhere in the town of less than 3,000 people wasn’t exactly bustling.
    David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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