lousier; lousiest
1
: infested (see infest sense 2) with lice
the ragged, lousy tribesmen—
T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence2
a
: totally repulsive (see repulsive sense 3) : contemptible
a lousy way of getting even
b
: miserably poor or inferior
got lousy grades
c
: somewhat ill
felt lousy after dinner
d
: amply supplied : replete
lousy with money
3
of silk
: fuzzy and specked because of splitting of the fiber
Examples of lousy in a Sentence
She got lousy grades in high school.
I like the work, but the pay is lousy.
He was a lousy husband.
They did a lousy job.
He drank too much and felt lousy the next morning.
It's a lousy, rainy day.
That's a lousy way to treat a friend.
Recent Examples on the Web
With New Yorkers, their past is a lousy indicator of their future.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Everyone back then could do a lousy Humphrey Bogart impersonation — or at least knew who Humphrey Bogart was.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2025
The team, which had mostly been lousy since that championship year, was finally starting to win games again.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Plastic trash cans tend to have flimsy builds, do a poor job at containing odors, and are lousy at keeping trash bags secure.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
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John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Everyone back then could do a lousy Humphrey Bogart impersonation — or at least knew who Humphrey Bogart was.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2025
The team, which had mostly been lousy since that championship year, was finally starting to win games again.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Plastic trash cans tend to have flimsy builds, do a poor job at containing odors, and are lousy at keeping trash bags secure.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
Cite this Entry
“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lousy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lousy
adjective
lousier; lousiest
1
: infested with lice
2
a
: totally disgusting : contemptible
b
: of very poor quality
got lousy grades
c
: somewhat ill
felt lousy after dinner
d
: well supplied
lousy with money
Medical Definition
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