deplorable

adjective

di-ˈplȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce deplorable (audio)
Definition of deplorablenext
1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust we will not tolerate such deplorable behavior in a house of worship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress condemned the deplorable conditions in which the family was living

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of deplorable Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said Houck's son was living in deplorable conditions with drugs within his reach. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 The consent decree over inmate medical care resulted from a 2015 class-action inmate lawsuit filed by the Prison Law Office alleging deplorable jail conditions, including inaccessible mental health and healthcare. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026 The malnourished children were found living in deplorable conditions in a 12-by-12-foot room. — Wsyx Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026 The children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house, investigators said, under deplorable conditions. — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplorable
  1. pitiful
  2. tragic
  3. lame
  4. unfortunate
  5. cheap
  6. wretched
  7. disgusting
  8. dirty
Adjective
  • Just 7% of Democrats approve, along with a pitiful 12% of independents.
    — Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Herbert's six interceptions is only surpassed by Drake Maye's pitiful start to the season.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • Encouragement from his longtime confidante and collaborator helped the comedian write about the loss of his beloved home before Reiner’s tragic killing in December 2025 alongside his wife, Michele, in Brentwood.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Reynolds, a Black disabled man with a limb difference, is given a character of substance that isn’t tragic or inspirational.
    — Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • Blumenthal hopes to see action on KOSA in the lame-duck session.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Only to see them, after winning elections, get strong-armed by the party, then offer lame excuses as to why.
    — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Neighbors shocked about stabbing Neighbors say Thomas was known to have mental health issues and called the stabbing unfortunate.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • To make matters worse, India’s Supreme Court, another vital democratic institution, has also played an unfortunate role in this train of events.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Investors now see access to cheap and reliable power as a precondition for European companies to compete long-term.
    — Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Telehealth sites hit their first jackpot in the 2010s, when Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction came off patent, allowing for the sale of cheaper generics.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • The Vatican typically allows criminal investigations to play out before initiating canonical trials so as not to interfere, and that is especially so now in Australia, after the church's wretched legacy there of abuse and cover-up.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But the warmth of her hand on his skin only made Shawn feel more wretched.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of wretched
Adjective
  • That’s likely to inspire either affection or immediate exhaustion, depending on your fondness for the infamously disgusting performance group.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Walls around the three-sinks are dirty in the ware-washing area.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Postwar Hiroshima was a popular setting for these movie gangsters, who fought dirty, had no use for the old ceremonies, and wore flashy suits and aviator shades.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirty

Browse Nearby Words

depletions
deplorable
deplorableness
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Cite this Entry

“Deplorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplorable. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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