as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way
he tends to perform poorly on standardized tests a poorly drawn figure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
she stayed home because she was feeling poorly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poorly
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Edmonton has several veterans with no-movement or no-trade contracts performing poorly.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.
—Maggie Astor, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poorly
Adverb
Both the Times of London and the Daily Telegraph reviewed Newman’s book poorly, with an air of anti-woke ennui, accusing her of imposing contemporary moral standards on the vices of the past.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Edmonton has several veterans with no-movement or no-trade contracts performing poorly.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
This involves having a poorly or non-functioning colon and is not usually reversible.
—Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.
—Maggie Astor, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poorly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poorly
Adverb
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Who in the world has either achieved so much or been beaten up so badly to need to quit at 16?—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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The Internet ran amok in his comic Worldtr33, toxic friendships became entangled in his Nice House On… books, the moneyed elite behaved badly in Exquisite Corpses.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In 2014, the federal government also granted her permission to leave and re-enter the country to visit a sick family member in Mexico.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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In other words, routinely overloading on MSG (or feeling abnormally sick afterward) isn’t a viable concern for most people.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
23 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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There were no debates involved, no refs called in, no bad-mouthing.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Shopping writer Julia Harrison is a down pillow devotee, but Boll & Branch’s has become her absolute favorite.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2026
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There are strict criteria which apply for safe standing areas, such as the fact fans must be able to sit or stand in the licensed areas – the seats in them cannot be locked in the ‘up’ or ‘down’ position.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Unless things go horribly wrong.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay (Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol) accidentally travel back to the year 2008.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Yet Bragg couldn’t tell the parent just how severely ill their fellow South Carolinians were getting from the outbreak sickening people around them.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Construction crew takes time for ill child awaiting a transplant.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorly. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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