Lousy
/ˈlaʊzi/
adjectiveB1
Definition
Lousy describes something that is of low quality, unpleasant, or disappointing. It can refer to things, situations, or even people when they do not meet expectations or are not good. It is an informal word often used in everyday speech.
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See It in Action
Of poor quality or unpleasant
- •The hotel room was lousy, with dirty sheets and a bad smell.
- •I had a lousy meal at the new restaurant.
- •The movie was lousy; I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Feeling bad or unhappy
- •I feel lousy today because I caught a cold.
- •She was in a lousy mood after losing the game.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "lousy" like "bad" (A1 word), but a little stronger and more informal—like saying something is really not good
- ✓Picture a rainy day when everything feels annoying and uncomfortable—that feeling is "lousy"
- ✓It's the feeling when you get a bad grade or when food tastes strange and you don’t like it
- ✓Sounds like "LOU-zee" → imagine someone saying "lousy" with a sad voice because something is disappointing
- ✓Think of a story where a character has a lousy day—everything goes wrong and feels bad
- ✓NOT like "good" (positive and nice), "lousy" means the opposite—something unpleasant or poor
- ✓NOT like "terrible" (very strong), "lousy" is less strong but still clearly bad
- ✓NOT like "fine" or "okay" which mean average or acceptable, "lousy" means below average or poor
Try Other Words
- •Poor: of low quality (Use when talking about quality in a more formal or neutral way)
- •Terrible: very bad or unpleasant (Use when the situation or thing is much worse than just lousy)
- •Unpleasant: not enjoyable or nice (Use when focusing on how something makes you feel emotionally)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix, simple root word)
- •Etymology: Originates from English slang, originally meaning "infested with lice" (lice are small insects), later used to mean bad or poor quality
- •Historical development: First used in the 1800s to describe something dirty or full of lice, then changed to mean something bad or unpleasant
- •Modern usage: Commonly used informally to describe anything disappointing, poor, or unpleasant in everyday speech
Reflect & Connect
•Can something be "lousy" but still useful or important? How do you decide when to call something lousy?
•How does using informal words like "lousy" change the way we talk about problems or feelings compared to more formal words?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the rain, the picnic was lousy because the ground was ___ and wet.
2.She said the movie was lousy, but I thought it was ___.
3.Feeling lousy often happens when someone is ___ or tired.
4.The team played a lousy game and ___ the match easily.
5.He gave a lousy excuse that did not ___ anyone.
6.When you say something is lousy, you usually feel ___ about it.
7.A lousy day is one where many things go ___ or wrong.