lousy

adjective

ˈlau̇-zē How to pronounce lousy (audio)
Definition of lousynext
1
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust why, you lousy cheater!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
falling short of a standard I actually play a pretty lousy game of tennis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory the restaurant served a lousy meal that we shouldn't have had to pay for

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in cheap
of low quality a tacky store selling lousy souvenirs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in crowded
possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified a Manhattan neighborhood that is lousy with wannabe actors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The win was looked at as a bit of a comeback story, but most thought Hamilton was just coming back from a lousy 2025 season for him and Ferrari. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 The National Park Service, keeper of Independence Hall, has long tried to draw attention to the lousy condition of the buildings here. — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Indeed, Sta Rita Hills is one of my personal favorite regions for pinot and chardonnay and the estate is rife with challenges—lousy soil, wind, and the chilling influence of the Pacific Ocean. — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 However, if your command of the Spanish language is less than lousy or if reading this has inspired you to take your first step inside the Compare Foods Supermarket on Milton Road, here’s the trifecta of non-negotiable dishes to eat. — Andre James, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lousy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousy
  1. lame
  2. poor
  3. terrible
  4. cheap
  5. crowded
  6. pitiful
  7. unacceptable
  8. horrible
Adjective
  • Stronger and more flavorful than in your original lame iteration?
    — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • On paper, some of the six, all of whom are far-right conservatives, have enviable educational backgrounds, but the record has proven that each one is openly political and willing to rubber-stamp nearly all of DeSantis’ lame and unconstitutional policies.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Microchips are relatively cheap and are required for every pet in Los Angeles County over 4 months old.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Prove Your Claims With Evidence In a market flooded with AI capabilities, claims are cheap, and every launch sounds the same.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • While alcohol, crowded waterways and heavy holiday traffic all contribute to an increase in emergency calls, fireworks generate the largest share of responses, according to authorities.
    — Andrew Graham July 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026
  • Your personal life could feel crowded, unpredictable and emotionally overwhelming, Scorpio.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of crowded
Adjective
  • Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.
    — Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • In their grievance letter, the detainees called the markups an unacceptable business practice with no apparent limit.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Overt racial prejudice, long considered socially unacceptable, is increasingly visible in public life, marking a shift from previously subtle forms.
    — Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • And obviously, slavery was a terrible thing, and that was horrible.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • Horton, who married Rickman in 2012 in a private ceremony after more than 40 years together, also told the outlet that the diagnosis had been a horrible shock to them both.
    — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of horrible

Browse Nearby Words

lousing up
lousy
lout
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lousy

Nglish: Translation of lousy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All