lousy

American  

[lou-zee] / ˈlaʊ zi /

adjective

lousier, lousiest

1. infested with lice.

2. Informal.

   1. mean or contemptible.

      That was a lousy thing to do.

   2. wretchedly bad; miserable.

      a lousy job; I feel lousy.

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idioms

1. lousy with, well supplied with or filled with, often to excess.

   Our city is lousy with bad drivers.

   I wish I were lousy with money like my boss.

lousy British  

/ ˈlaʊzɪ /

adjective

1. slang very mean or unpleasant

   a lousy thing to do

2. slang inferior or bad

   this is a lousy film

3. infested with lice

4. slang (foll by with)

   1. provided with an excessive amount (of)

      he's lousy with money

   2. full of or teeming with

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Other Word Forms

• lousily adverb
• lousiness noun

Etymology

Origin of lousy

First recorded in 1350–1400, lousy is from the Middle English word lousi. See louse, -y ¹

Example Sentences

The secret to the company’s success was it managed its brand well and didn’t make “lousy junk” that breaks down, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Those issues make the sector a pretty lousy place to look for relatively safe income.

From Barron's

An economic contraction is lousy for investors in almost any stock, but particularly small-caps.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Gemini recommendation, seconded by the restaurant manager, was the comfort food I craved in the lousy weather.

From The Wall Street Journal

I would like to point out that the average house being bought and sold at much lower prices in the 1970s was, by modern standards, lousy.

From Barron's

Related Words

• awful
• horrible
• miserable
• poor
• rotten
• second-rate
• shoddy
• terrible