lousy

[ lou-zee ]

adjective

, lous·i·er, lous·i·est.

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.

lousy

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈlousiness, noun
• ˈlousily, adverb

Other Words From

• lousi·ly adverb
• lousi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lousy¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. lousy with, Slang. 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.

Example Sentences

The “Pixels” and “Bad Moms” actor said Cutler chose “lousy” classical music instead of her preferred hip-hop to score the film, used unflattering camera angles, failed to capture the essence of her magazine and omitted her grandchildren.

From Los Angeles Times

Which leads to a different theory of Trump swings: Voters are fed up with lousy metropolitan governance.

From Slate

That would have been a lousy trade.

From Los Angeles Times

For now, let’s celebrate the end of the most vexing, mean-spirited and household-dividing presidential election in modern times, as it heaves itself across the finish line and crumples in a lousy heap.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of Stewart’s complaints were more superficial, like how she disliked the camera angles Cutler chose for shooting her, or that she wanted the film to feature music that was more representative of her personal tastes — less “lousy classical score” and more Dr. Dre, Snoop or Fredwreck.

From Salon

Related Words

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