deplorable

[dih-plawr-uh-buhl, -plohr-] / dɪˈplɔr ə bəl, -ˈploʊr- /

ADJECTIVE

unfortunate, shameful

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dire disastrous disgraceful distressing dreadful grievous horrifying intolerable lamentable miserable regrettable reprehensible scandalous terrible tragic unbearable unsatisfactory wretched

WEAK

afflictive awful blameworthy bummer calamitous dirty dishonorable disreputable dolorous downer execrable faulty godawful grim heartbreaking heartrending lousy melancholy mournful opprobrious overwhelming pitiable poor rotten sad sickening stinking woeful

Antonyms

STRONGEST

acceptable bearable blessed fortunate good happy lucky nice pleasant respectable satisfactory successful tolerable wonderful

WEAK

cheerful delightful excellent shameless

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Like other reformers, including Catherine Bauer and Edith Elmer Wood, Simkhovitch saw slums through the narrow prism of their deplorable physical conditions, such as overcrowding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

"Whoever committed this deplorable wildlife crime should hang their heads in shame."

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

"They left me there all night, with damp walls, toilets in a deplorable state with hundreds of cockroaches and fecal matter that has built up over months," Castro recounted.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

Regrettable and deplorable as Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi’s misconduct may be, it is unclear why the lesson of this affair should be the undermining of Israel’s legal system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

Cohen emphasizes that denial, though deplorable, is complicated.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Vocabulary lists containing deplorable

The Book Thief

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Grade 11, List 4

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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift

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