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
Synonyms
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
In 1968, there was a lousy, bloody undeclared war that American soldiers were dying and killing in, and a draft that meant students had skin in that game.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2024
The lousy weather, the scant crowd and the currently murky path to a conference made that harder than usual to envision on Sunday.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2024
American Horror Story, meanwhile, is cursed by lousy writing — mild by comparison, sure, but still fatal.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2024
Undermining Netanyahu because Biden demands that Israel surrender so Biden can declare peace in our time for his lousy, rotten reelection effort.
—Andrew Mark Miller Fox News, Fox News, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lousy 
Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2024
The lousy weather, the scant crowd and the currently murky path to a conference made that harder than usual to envision on Sunday.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2024
American Horror Story, meanwhile, is cursed by lousy writing — mild by comparison, sure, but still fatal.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2024
Undermining Netanyahu because Biden demands that Israel surrender so Biden can declare peace in our time for his lousy, rotten reelection effort.
—Andrew Mark Miller Fox News, Fox News, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lousy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lousy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lousy
Cite this Entry
“Lousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lousy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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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