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poorly

American  
[poor-lee] / ˈpʊər li /

adverb

  1. in a poor manner or way.

    The team played poorly.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

    she's poorly today
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of poorly

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

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.