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
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Recent Examples of deplorable
The leadership turnover comes at a critical juncture, with the county struggling to increase staffing at the jail, which is under a legal agreement with the Department of Justice to improve deplorable conditions there.
—
Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Residents reportedly lived in deplorable conditions at the since-shuttered recovery site, an unlicensed behavioral health center called the Thomas Suites Campus of Care, where there were reports of rampant drug dealing and no running water.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
—David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Terrorizing children because their parents are undocumented is deplorable.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Residents reportedly lived in deplorable conditions at the since-shuttered recovery site, an unlicensed behavioral health center called the Thomas Suites Campus of Care, where there were reports of rampant drug dealing and no running water.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
—David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Terrorizing children because their parents are undocumented is deplorable.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deplorable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplorable
Adjective
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These two beacons of truth and connoisseurs of mess have been bonded for over a decade, sharing the traumas of a crappy Boston dorm room and a pitiful Brooklyn dating scene.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
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Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Then something tragic takes place.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
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In 1999, 81 years after the tragic sinking, the crew members of the Tampa were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And getting all giddy over some lame light beer that has apple juice poured into to is just plain embarrassing.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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This idea that just sitting with your face buried in your phone when you’re supposed to be in a social setting—that’s lame, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even before the president set off this unfortunate round of gerrymandering, Democratic states such as New York and Illinois were already heavily gerrymandered.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
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He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But by tweaking this archetype again and again, Chan transforms a cheap gimmick into a complex ecosystem of life-forms.—
Dawn Chan,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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The cheapest available seat was listed at $237 as of Friday evening.—
Annie Costabile,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Sullivan has run a refreshing offseason, considering his wretched inheritance.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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Working with his regular cinematographer Oleg Mutu, Loznitsa gives this prison — and authoritarianism itself — a sickly luster without ever denying its wretched stench.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The water is disgusting-looking.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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These words then take on guilt by association because of the things we have been socialized to find unpleasant, uncomfortable, or disgusting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The drinks attract younger women, typically age 16 to 35, and are aimed at health-conscious customers that don’t want Swig’s more caloric and filling dirty sodas, CEO Alex Dunn said.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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That wasn’t the only utensil stored in a dirty place.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deplorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplorable. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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