Find Synonyms

poorly Synonyms

Another word for poorly

Choosing another word for poorly depends on context, so the 26 synonyms and similar words below are separated across 3 exact definitions and ranked by match strength.
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• adverb (Context 1)

In an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or inferior manner; badly.

Usage Example

"The instructions were badly translated, making it difficult to assemble the desk."

Strongest
badly
inadequately
unsatisfactorily
Strong
insufficiently
shoddily
defectively
imperfectly
faultily
Weak
weakly
crudely

• adjective (Context 2)

Unwell, indisposed, or in bad health.

Usage Example

"The child was feeling too unwell to attend school that morning."

Strongest
unwell
ill
indisposed
sick
Strong
ailing
under the weather
sickly
out of sorts
peaky
Weak
infirm

• adverb (Context 3)

In a condition of poverty, scarcity, or insufficient financial resources.

Usage Example

"The family lived penuriously during the economic downturn, relying on modest rations."

Strong
penuriously
indigently
destitutely
meagerly
scantily
Weak
sparsely

Opposites of poorly

The opposite of poorly shifts depending on context. Common opposites include:

well
healthy
wealthily
richly
satisfactorily
affluently
prosperously
adequately
See all opposites of poorly

• Nearby Words

poor
poorbox
poorhouse
poorly
poorness
poorwill
pop

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Synonyms for Poorly. In Wordmom Thesaurus. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/synonyms/poorly
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