: in a poor condition or manner
: somewhat ill : indisposed
Synonyms
Examples of poorly in a Sentence
Adverb
he tends to perform poorly on standardized tests
Adjective
she stayed home because she was feeling poorly
Recent Examples on the Web
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
The defense looked solid in the first half before faltering in the second
As poorly as the offense performed in the second half, the same could be said for the defense.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 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 
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Adverb
Do not be fooled, however: WWE 2K20 and eFootball 2022 are just the outliers, arriving so poorly crafted as to cause notable outcry and an actual change to development plans.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
The defense looked solid in the first half before faltering in the second
As poorly as the offense performed in the second half, the same could be said for the defense.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 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
Dictionary Entries Near poorly
Cite this Entry
“Poorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poorly. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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