1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
that's a pretty lame way to treat someone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
the amenities at this hotel are lame; there's not even free Wi-Fi in the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
we were afraid that the horse would be lamed by its horrible fall
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 lame
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
Shootouts are lame in comparison.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
That s—t gonna be lame 10 years from now.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2025
The Democratic state Legislature in New York’s lame attempt to join them in undermining representative government will not work.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
To put it in a different way, my life is pretty lame [laughs].
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2023
Well, this is so lame, but I'm almost finished watching The Sopranos for the very first time ever.
—Lauren Morgan, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2022
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
There's nothing watery, limp, or lame about an onion boil.
—Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
And unlike other bread lames that don’t conceal the razor, this one opens and closes for maximum safety.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024
The question is, then, how can two lames convince the girls to look their way?
—Vulture, 6 June 2023
Adjective
Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
Shootouts are lame in comparison.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
That s—t gonna be lame 10 years from now.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2025
The Democratic state Legislature in New York’s lame attempt to join them in undermining representative government will not work.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
To put it in a different way, my life is pretty lame [laughs].
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2023
Well, this is so lame, but I'm almost finished watching The Sopranos for the very first time ever.
—Lauren Morgan, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2022
Verb
Additional accessories High-end proofing baskets can come with many other helpful accessories like scrapers, bonus lames and even instructional e-books or DVDs.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
There's nothing watery, limp, or lame about an onion boil.
—Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
And unlike other bread lames that don’t conceal the razor, this one opens and closes for maximum safety.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024
The question is, then, how can two lames convince the girls to look their way?
—Vulture, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lame
Adjective
-
The pitiful screaming of surviving family members can be heard.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Republicans view the proposal as unacceptable.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
18 Sep. 2025
-
But with the massive sums of money businesses are putting into CX, a lack of improvement should be seen as unacceptable.—
Tomas Gorny,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Killing, Corrupting, and Exiling of Science Under Hitler Widely regarded as the world’s research powerhouse in the 1920s and early 30s, German science was crippled by the Nazis starting in 1933, when Hitler gained power as Chancellor.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Here, the median sale price of a home is about $137,000—one of the cheapest price tags in the country.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Health insurers plan to raise rates, pointing to rising health care costs, tariffs on prescription drugs and medical device imports, and the possible expiration of premium tax credits instituted during former President Joe Biden's administration that made plans cheaper.—
Sarah Volpenhein,
jsonline.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another note that came up in the responses to this question is that everyone, of any age, should make sure that there are plans in place for a friend or relative to take care of the dog if the owner is incapacitated or dies.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel needs to incapacitate Hamas in the city to avoid a repeat of the October 7 attack that ignited the war.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The gentle, fragrance-free formula leaves even the dirtiest of clothes spotless.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Ahead of Lipa’s arrival the team was busy setting up trays of extra dirty martinis, her preferred drink.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Using the wrong type of cleaning product for your tub's material can result in scratches, discoloration, or chips.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Scotsman Robert MacIntyre was pleased to have made the cut with a birdie on the last on Friday evening but when a rare second cut was made to shorten the field for the final day, the 29-year-old from Oban was on the wrong side of the line when finishing 2 under par.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lame. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share