deficiently

adverb

as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way the road to the mountain lodge is so deficiently marked that we had a terrible time finding it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficiently
  1. poorly
  2. badly
  3. bad
Adverb
  • A week ago, the Chiefs defense opened so poorly that coordinator Steve Spagnuolo provided a reality check on the sideline in the first quarter.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Even though the score was 27-27 in the fourth quarter and SC's defense seemed to get a stop on a long third down, a trademark poorly timed, and frankly absurd and ridiculous, roughing the passer penalty gave the Ducks a free first down.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • The extraordinary female characters at the heart of the show will be pushed to extremes, behave deliciously badly and have a whole lot of fun along the way.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • But few could have anticipated just how badly the film would bomb.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of badly
Adverb
  • Another would be to coat your thumbs with a bad-tasting substance.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 30 July 2026
  • Of course, Hole himself isn’t averse to breaking bad, either.
    — Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of bad
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

deficient
deficiently
deficit
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Cite this Entry

“Deficiently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficiently. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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