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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
  • Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Add in coach Steve Kerr willingly working on a lame-duck contract, and the Warriors could be looking for a new path forward within the year of saying hello to Butler, meaning that smell around Chase Center is one of desperation.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The heiress was involved in a terrible car accident in 1929, which left her with life-long medical issues.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
  • And keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, once Alisson’s backup with Liverpool, has improved after a terrible start.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But cattle producers say importing cheaper beef abroad could threaten domestic agriculture in the long run.
    Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Gripen fighters have the reputation of being relatively cheap and easy to maintain and arm, and able to operate in austere conditions – using roads or even dirt roads for runways.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • For ten days in July, fighter jets roared, infantry exchanged fire in crowded streets, and mobile missile launchers twirled their payloads from sandy beachheads as part of its annual Han Kuang exercises.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Still, the incident highlights vulnerabilities in airport security, especially in crowded areas not overseen by TSA officers.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The New York Jets season is off to quite the pitiful start.
    Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.
    Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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