poorly
adverb · adjective
Simple meaning
In a poor or improper or unsatisfactory way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
poorleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpuɹli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
`ill' is often used as a combining form
In a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage.
In a negative manner; with disapproval; unfavorably.
Without skill or merit.
Meanly; without spirit.
adjective
uk
Ill, unwell, sick.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
Used this way, poorly is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use poorly
- “The team performed poorly in the competition today.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Having little money or few possessions.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.