Lousy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Lousy (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

   "why, you lousy cheater!"

   similar: cheap, contemptible, cruddy, deplorable, despicable, dirty, grubby, lame, mean, nasty, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched
   related: abhorrent, abominable, condemnable, detestable, execrable, hateful, loathsome, odious, disgusting, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, shameful, base, ignoble, low, shabby, sordid, squalid, vile, blamable, censurable, reprehensible, reproachable, cowardly, craven, dastardly, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous
   opposite: admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy
   near: high-minded, honest, honorable, noble, principled, redoubtable, reputable, right-minded, scrupulous, upright, ethical, good, moral, right, righteous, virtuous

2. falling short of a standard

   "I actually play a pretty lousy game of tennis"

   similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
   related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
   opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
   near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

3. extremely unsatisfactory

   "the restaurant served a lousy meal that we shouldn't have had to pay for"

   similar: abysmal, atrocious, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, punk, rotten, sucky (slang), terrible, wretched
   related: bad, deficient, inferior, off, poor, substandard, wanting, contemptible, miserable, shameful, defective, faulty, flawed, low-grade, mediocre, reprehensible, second-rate, bum, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, abominable, damnable, fiendish, odious, vile
   opposite: bitchin' (slang), great, marvelous, wonderful
   near: choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory

4. of low quality

   "a tacky store selling lousy souvenirs"

   similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretched
   related: useless, valueless, worthless, indifferent, lackluster, second-class, brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank, tawdry, seedy, shabby, tacky, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham, supercheap, ultracheap
   opposite: excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch
   near: elegant, handsome, tasteful, handcrafted, polished, refined

5. possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified

   "a Manhattan neighborhood that is lousy with wannabe actors"

   similar: abounding, abundant, awash, flush, fraught, replete, rife, swarming, teeming, thick, thronging
   related: brimming, bulging, bursting, chock-full, crammed, crowded, fat, filled, full, jammed, jam-packed, loaded, packed, saturated, stuffed, clogged, congested, overcrowded, overfilled, overflowing, overfull, overladen, overloaded, overstuffed, surfeited, alive, animated, astir, bustling, busy, buzzing, humming, lively
   near: bare, barren, blank, devoid, empty, stark, vacant, void, depleted, drained, exhausted, deficient, incomplete, insufficient, short