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
Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The sense among Republicans on the Hill was that the hearing went about as poorly as possible.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
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
Perimenopause, which can trigger depression and anxiety, remains so poorly understood that many women don't even realize their symptoms are connected to hormonal changes.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The sense among Republicans on the Hill was that the hearing went about as poorly as possible.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
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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His brother had been badly damaged by scandal when the family's British tabloids were found to have hacked into mobile phone voicemails and otherwise violated people's privacy.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
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There’s one episode that really stuck with me about a woman who had been bullied badly in middle school.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But many Americans who don't meet the new criteria do still want to get vaccinated to avoid getting sick or spreading the virus to vulnerable family members.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
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Harry, who served in the British Armed Forces for 10 years, launched The Invictus Games in London in 2014 to honor active duty and veteran service members who have been wounded, injured or sick on the job.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Remember, too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly!—
Amber Smith,
Discover Magazine,
3 Apr. 2024
-
That started off bad and got better.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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Williams and the Bears began to stall completely on securing crucial third down conversions.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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The violent up and down cycles were strong enough to disengage the plane’s autopilot system and cause minor damage to the plane’s interior as everything that wasn’t strapped down went flying.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Sometimes prosthetics are required, or fake teeth, or horribly unflattering wigs.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2025
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Timing that shortest of all short windows between when an avocado is hard as rock and horribly black and squishy has become one of the millennium’s many small trials in life (for avocado fans at least).—
Mark Faithfull,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Osbourne died two weeks after his final performance with Black Sabbath from a heart attack following years of ill health, including Parkinson's disease.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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The ceremony honors the courage of seriously ill children and their families, and Harry will once again deliver a speech and present the award for Most Inspirational Child (aged 4–6).—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorly. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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