as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way
he tends to perform poorly on standardized tests a poorly drawn figure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
she stayed home because she was feeling poorly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poorly
PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
The result: devices that do many things poorly rather than a few things exceptionally well.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 22 May 2025
Maggie Astor, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for poorly
Adverb
The phone fared poorly at the edge of the Wi-Fi network, managing just 2.80Mbps down and 2.16Mbps up.
—PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
The result: devices that do many things poorly rather than a few things exceptionally well.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 22 May 2025
Adjective
The researchers and their partners are also working to track local residents’ health and to measure how well or poorly interventions like masks and household air filters protected them.
—Maggie Astor, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for poorly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poorly
Adverb
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Hours later, the bodies of seven children - most of them badly burned - arrived at the hospital, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
-
One soldier who served under him was wounded badly.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
-
Pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications from the virus and their newborns are in danger of getting really sick from COVID.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
28 May 2025
Adverb
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Remember, too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly!—
Amber Smith,
Discover Magazine,
3 Apr. 2024
-
That started off bad and got better.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
Lukas Hradecky is the club’s current number one and captain, but had a down season compared to the year before.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
-
Here are the best down comforters after months of testing.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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George had lived there for eight years, while Cookie, a chronically ill stray, appeared around 2020.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
-
However, some people at standard risk of COVID-19 will get seriously ill from the infection, and some will die from it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorly. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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