Synonyms for poorly

Most common

sick · lousy · rough · sickly

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

Adverb

Antonyms

normal, tolerable, highly

All antonyms of poorly →

Definitions

1. adj. 1

   Ill, unwell, sick.

   to report one's child poorly

2. adv. 1

   In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.

   He uses his employees poorly.

Example sentences

• peaked Violent crime in the U.S. peaked in 1991.
• lousy Back in the 1990s, Algeria had lousy infrastructure.
• sickly Since childhood, Boldi has been a very sickly boy.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters

bad¹, ill¹

4 letters

sick¹, icky

5 letters

rough¹, badly², lousy², seedy², ropey

6 letters

peaked¹, unwell², ailing², sickly²

7 letters

sickish

10 letters

indisposed

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (badly² = 2 syllables).