poorly

American  

[poor-lee] / ˈpʊər li /

adverb

1. in a poor manner or way.

   The team played poorly.

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adjective

1. in poor health; somewhat ill.

   I hear she's been poorly.

poorly British  

/ ˈpɔː-, ˈpʊəlɪ /

adverb

1. in a poor way or manner; badly

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adjective

1. informal (usually postpositive) in poor health; rather ill

   she's poorly today

Etymology

Origin of poorly

First recorded in 1250–1300, poorly is from the Middle English word pourely. See poor, -ly

Example Sentences

It won’t misread a macro data print because it slept poorly or broke up with someone last night.

From MarketWatch

Comparable discoveries from the southern hemisphere have been rare and remain poorly documented.

From Science Daily

That money either ran out due perhaps to home repairs and medical expenses, or he spent and invested it poorly.

From MarketWatch

The powerful striker held off his marker and beat goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who handled the shot poorly and might have kept it out.

From Barron's

The sound was a shift for Mr. Scaggs, whose six previous studio albums had done poorly.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• badly
• crudely
• inadequately
• insufficiently