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
As reported in The Wall Street Journal, the accuracy of quarterly GDP forecasts has also been lousy of late.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Learning how absolutely lousy, unreliable, and untrustworthy many people can be is maybe a lesson better learned later.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 25 July 2025
Honk: Why does Caltrans leave that plastic film on its green highway signs that dissolves over time and comes off in pieces — and just looks lousy?
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 25 July 2025
The crowds and noise and lousy music suggested to me that discos were the sorts of places where such vortexes were born and should, therefore, be avoided at all costs.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
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George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Learning how absolutely lousy, unreliable, and untrustworthy many people can be is maybe a lesson better learned later.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 25 July 2025
Honk: Why does Caltrans leave that plastic film on its green highway signs that dissolves over time and comes off in pieces — and just looks lousy?
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 25 July 2025
The crowds and noise and lousy music suggested to me that discos were the sorts of places where such vortexes were born and should, therefore, be avoided at all costs.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 25 July 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 5 Aug. 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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