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
The reasons for consumers’ ongoing lousy mood have changed over the years: Obviously the pandemic caused sentiment to fall in 2020.
—Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Two elite closers looking anything but on Wednesday afternoon, pitching the same lousy 9th.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
This mess and the price tag for a lousy deal to clean it up are the sort of thing that gave rise to the chaotic Department of Government Efficiency and a broad appetite for slashing government spending.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
The Denver native has watched a lot of lousy baseball in his nine-year Rockies career, and very little of it was his fault.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lousy
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Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Two elite closers looking anything but on Wednesday afternoon, pitching the same lousy 9th.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
This mess and the price tag for a lousy deal to clean it up are the sort of thing that gave rise to the chaotic Department of Government Efficiency and a broad appetite for slashing government spending.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
The Denver native has watched a lot of lousy baseball in his nine-year Rockies career, and very little of it was his fault.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 Apr. 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 1 May. 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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