Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In a poor manner.
  • adjective In poor health; ill.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Somewhat ill; indisposed; not in health; unwell.
  • In a poor manner or condition.
  • With little or no success; insufficiently; defectively: as, poorly constructed; poorly adapted to the purpose.
  • Humbly; without spirit; ignobly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Somewhat ill; indisposed; not in health.
  • adverb In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
  • adverb With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage.
  • adverb Meanly; without spirit.
  • adverb Without skill or merit.
  • adverb not well off; not rich.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb in a poor manner
  • adjective ill, unwell, sick

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
  • adjective somewhat ill or prone to illness

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

poor +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • TATTON: In this fundraising video to his supporters, he says that liberals are trying to silence him as he attempts to speak out against what he calls a poorly conceived plan.

    CNN Transcript Sep 11, 2009 2009

  • In it, Congressman Wilson tells them that the liberals are trying to silence him, he says, trying to stop him from speaking out on what he calls a poorly conceived plan.

    CNN Transcript Sep 11, 2009 2009

  • "There are here," he reports, "about twenty-five hundred men, five hundred of them sick, the greatest part of them what they call poorly; they bury from five to eight daily, and officers in proportion; extremely indolent, and dirty to a degree."

    Montcalm and Wolfe Francis Parkman 1858

  • According to Mr. Derfner, he was fired by the newspaper even after he had published a lengthy apology on his personal Web site for what he described as a poorly worded attempt to shock Israelis into considering the possibility that the continued occupation of Palestinian land seized by Israel provokes terror attacks.

    NYT > Home Page By ROBERT MACKEY 2011

  • According to Mr. Derfner, he was fired by the newspaper even after he had published a lengthy apology on his personal Web site for what he described as a poorly worded attempt to shock Israelis into considering the possibility that the continued occupation of Palestinian land seized by Israel provokes terror attacks.

    NYT > Home Page By ROBERT MACKEY 2011

  • White House advisers and other Democrats in Washington had already begun making excuses for what they called a poorly run campaign on Ms Coakley's part.

    Latest news, breaking news, current news, UK news, world news, celebrity news, politics news 2010

  • Al-Ajili said he feared people would blame what he described as poorly armed policemen and soldiers for the lack of security.

    ajc.com - News 2010

  • White House advisers and other Democrats in Washington had already begun making excuses for what they called a poorly run campaign on Ms Coakley's part.

    Telegraph.co.uk: news, business, sport, the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sunday Telegraph 2010

  • SAIA Motor Freight, which owned the truck, said in a statement that the report "failed to give appropriate consideration to a number of critically important factors," including what it called a poorly designed and maintained tunnel.

    PE Angels Baseball 2009

  • SAIA Motor Freight, which owned the truck, said in a statement that the report "failed to give appropriate consideration to a number of critically important factors," including what it called a poorly designed and maintained tunnel.

    Odessa America Online : Top Story 2009

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