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Added 9 October 2026

poorly

/ˈpʊə.li/ adjective

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about poorly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Somewhat ill or prone to illness.
my poor ailing grandmother

adverb

(`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well.
he was ill prepared

Origin

From Middle English poorly, pouerly, poreliche, poureliche, pouerliche, equivalent to poor + -ly.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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