lousy

IPA/ˈlaʊzi/
KK[lˈaʊzi]IPA/ˈlaʊzi/

lousy — adjective

  • lousypositive
  • lousiercomparative
  • lousiestsuperlative

1. of a very poor standard or quality; extremely disappointing or unpleasant

1.形容詞B1
釋義

of a very poor standard or quality; extremely disappointing or unpleasant

例句

The hotel room was lousy — the bed was broken and the tap did not work.

Nadia felt lousy after learning that she had missed the application deadline.

feel + lousy for one's emotional or physical state

同義詞
  • awful

    slightly stronger and more common in everyday speech

  • terrible

    equally strong but slightly more formal

  • dreadful

    more formal and emphatic than 'lousy'

反義詞
  • excellent

    opposite end of the quality scale

  • wonderful

    suggests delight rather than mere adequacy

常見錯誤

❌The soup tasted lousy.
✅The soup was lousy.
💡'lousy' describes overall quality, not a specific flavour sensation.

2. so small, ungenerous, or mean that you take it as a personal insult or offence

2.形容詞B2
釋義

so small, ungenerous, or mean that you take it as a personal insult or offence

例句

They offered Karim a lousy ten dollars for three hours of hard work.

a lousy + [amount] for an insultingly small quantity

Hannah thought the lousy two-dollar tip was worse than getting nothing at all.

同義詞
  • measly

    very similar but even more dismissive; common in informal speech

  • paltry

    slightly more formal, emphasises insignificance

  • stingy

    describes the giver's attitude rather than the amount itself

反義詞
  • generous

    the opposite attitude in giving

  • ample

    more than enough, contrasting with an insultingly small amount

用法筆記

Commonly placed before an amount of money or a small reward to emphasise how unfairly low or disappointing it is.

常見錯誤

❌The gift was lousy because I did not like the colour.
✅The company offered a lousy five-dollar bonus after a year of hard work.
💡Sense 2 applies to insultingly small amounts or rewards, not to things you simply dislike.

3. full of or crowded with something, especially something undesirable or annoying

3.形容詞B2
釋義

full of or crowded with something, especially something undesirable or annoying

例句

The train was lousy with commuters during the evening rush hour.

lousy with + [noun phrase] for crowded or filled condition

In summer the park is lousy with mosquitoes and other biting bugs.

同義詞
  • swarming

    more vivid; suggests movement and activity

  • crawling

    often used for insects or people in large numbers

  • teeming

    slightly more formal; can be positive or negative

反義詞
  • empty

    containing nothing at all

  • clear

    free of unwanted things

文法句型

lousy with + noun phrase

用法筆記

Almost always used in the fixed pattern 'lousy with + noun.' The noun describes the unwanted thing that fills a place.

常見錯誤

❌The beach was lousy of tourists.
✅The beach was lousy with tourists.
💡The correct pattern is 'lousy with', not 'lousy of'.

4. having lice, the small wingless insects that live on the hair or skin of people

4.形容詞C1
釋義

having lice, the small wingless insects that live on the hair or skin of people or animals

例句

When the school nurse checked, three children in Camille's class were lousy and had to be sent home.

literal original sense: infested with lice

After the camping trip, Hyun discovered he was lousy and asked the pharmacist for the right treatment.

同義詞
  • infested

    broader term; can apply to lice, fleas, rats, or other pests

反義詞
  • clean

    free from parasites or dirt

用法筆記

This is the original literal meaning from which all other senses of 'lousy' developed. It is much less common in everyday speech than the figurative senses.