poorly
Americanadverb
adjective
adverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of poorly
First recorded in 1250–1300, poorly is from the Middle English word pourely. See poor, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He described how the incredibly complex investigation as fundamentally poorly resourced "from start to finish", hampered by "indecision and apathy" from senior officers, as well as a lack of cooperation from UK Special Forces command.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
That’s because the S&P 500 is a market-cap-weighted index and its performance disproportionately suffers when its largest stocks perform poorly.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Horta N'Tam said the unit had been poorly organised under the previous administration but insisted none of its members had been expelled from the armed forces.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Center fielder Andy Pages, who batted so poorly last October he was benched for the final three games of the World Series, is hitless in seven at-bats in this series, with four strikeouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The cause of the fire was a heater that had been poorly installed prior to our purchase of the house, and we slowly rebuilt the damage.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
