The Adverb of Poor: Poorly
The adverb of poor is poorly.
How poorly is formed
A plain ending – add -ly with no change: poor + ly = poorly.
The default rule, shared with neat → neatly, sharp → sharply and tight → tightly.
Poorly in a sentence
| The book is poorly written. | The commonest pattern: before a past participle. |
| The team performed poorly all season. | After the verb. |
| The event was poorly attended. | Fewer people than expected. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns poorly appears in most often.
| poorly written / designed / lit | Before a past participle. This accounts for most uses of the word. |
| poorly paid / attended / equipped | Same pattern, describing a shortfall. |
| performed / fared poorly | After the verb. |
Poorly or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to poorly, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| badly | Stronger. Badly written is a harsher verdict than poorly written, which suggests weakness rather than failure. |
| inadequately | Formal, and specifically about not meeting a required standard. |
| weakly | About force or conviction rather than quality. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He did poor in the exam. | He did poorly in the exam. |
Poor is an adjective and cannot describe a verb. Unlike fast or hard, it has no adverb use of its own.
A British complication. In British English poorly is also an adjective meaning unwell: she is poorly today. That use is unknown in American English, where it would be read as an incomplete sentence. If you are writing for a mixed audience, unwell or ill avoids the ambiguity.
Related forms
Pronunciation: POOR-lee, two syllables.
| Adjective | poor |
| Adverb | poorly |
| Noun | poverty |
| Opposite | well |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The instructions were ___ translated.
- He is ___ and will not be in today.
- The bridge was ___ constructed and collapsed.
Answers: 1. poorly 2. poorly (British) / unwell 3. badly (stronger)
Frequently asked
Is poorly weaker than badly?
Yes. Poorly reports a shortfall; badly passes judgement. Reviewers reach for poorly when they want to criticise without sounding brutal.
