in a poor way or manner; badly
- (usually postpositive)
in poor health; rather ill
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
poor•ly /ˈpʊrli/USA pronunciation
adv.
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- not well;
badly:poorly paid workers.
adj.
- ill;
sick:[be + ~]He's poorly today.
poor•ly
(pŏŏr′lē),USA pronunciation adv.
adj.
- in a poor manner or way:The team played poorly.
adj.
- in poor health;
somewhat ill:I hear she's been poorly.
- Middle English pourely. See poor, -ly 1250–1300
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'poorly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Archie Bunker
- Burkitt's lymphoma
- actor-proof
- artless
- badly
- barely
- bind
- blow
- borax
- botchy
- bottom feeder
- choppy
- compare
- copy
- decry
- depauperate
- diabetic retinopathy
- drag up
- dub
- dysgonic
- elbow
- flub
- half-baked
- half-pie
- handle
- histosol
- ill
- ill-sorted
- impaired
- live
- maladapted
- malapportioned
- malnourished
- marsh
- massive
- measure
- mess
- nonachiever
- parody
- penurious
- retrofit
- saddle sore
- scratch hit
- seedy
- semiliterate
- sink
- slave labor
- slopwork
- sodden
- soggy