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
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
Purdue: The Boilermakers lost a big lead, had trouble rebounding and shot 3s poorly.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Story will be a free agent and at this stage why would an accomplished player stay with the poorly run Rockies?
—BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2021
See all Example Sentences for poorly 
Adverb
Not even when called upon to begin yelling at each other, a frequent occurrence that poorly masks the lack of real dramatic substance.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
Purdue: The Boilermakers lost a big lead, had trouble rebounding and shot 3s poorly.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Both the United States and the United Nations have stepped back from leadership roles, a reflection of how poorly interventions in Haiti have gone and also the wide range of issues in other parts of the world at the moment.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Story will be a free agent and at this stage why would an accomplished player stay with the poorly run Rockies?
—BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2021
See all Example Sentences for poorly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poorly
Adverb
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Choose Salt-Tolerant Plants Plants like viburnum, boxwood, red twig dogwood, and serviceberry react badly to salty soil.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Sinner was struggling badly with illness in the heat and was saved in large part by a medical timeout and a 21-minute break to fix a broken net.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Most cases were blamed on direct contact with sick animals, except for three that have befuddled investigators who failed to identify a likely source.—
Alexander Tin,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2025
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There’s just an element of danger to a lot of these things, and then getting sick and having to survive that and then writing those stories and living through that with my bandmates… There’s sort of a tension and a release that’s built into every one of these songs.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
27 Jan. 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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Puffer jackets filled with down or fiberfill, synthetic fleece jackets, and nylon or polyester outerwear can be washed at home, as well as some wool coats.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
20 Jan. 2025
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Again, Washington declined most field-goal attempts or punts, going for it on fourth down five times.—
David Aldridge,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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President Donald Trump’s threats aimed at strong-arming Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine have been badly received by some politicians and nationalists in Russia who say his tactics bode ill for a deal.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
23 Jan. 2025
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Turkeys and chickens typically become severely ill and die soon after they are infected.—
Emily Anthes,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near poorly
Cite this Entry
“Poorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorly. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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