LOWLIFE Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

low-life 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of low-life

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank photographs of the low-life residents of postwar Paris

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lowlife

2 of 2

noun

as in scoundrel

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 low-life

Adjective

The president can be assured that his low-life actions will eliminate him as a candidate to get to Heaven. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026 Inside, everything was magically transformed into a 1930s Parisian low-life dive. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2026

Noun

Their search leads them to a local drug lord and a galaxy of lowlifes, all of whom are hiding something. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026 First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for low-life

Recent Examples of Synonyms for low-life

Adjective

Bonnell Bonnell isn’t the first to come to the electric off-road motorcycle arena, but its strategy is to differentiate itself through integration, adjustability and relatively low weight rather than simply trying to win the horsepower spreadsheet.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
In a footnote to his dissent, Roberts wrote that the underground work on the project – which lower courts had allowed to proceed – addressed the government’s security concerns.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of low

Adjective

But new research is shedding light on what life was like for middle- and lower-class residents.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
The franchise centers around a dystopian nation called Panem, where rich and authoritarian leaders force twelve lower-class districts to submit two children to fight in a deadly, and televised, battle every year.

— Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

Definition of lower-class

Noun

The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.

— Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025

Definition of wretch

Adjective

Linen and cotton, cooling garments, were too plebeian; the people posed nobly for street-style social-media accounts in leather jackets and low-slung jorts.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of plebeian

Noun

Hailing from London as the son of hardscrabble fruit sellers, Winstone was often asked to channel his rough-and-tumble upbringing and pre-acting career as a boxer into mobster and villain roles.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
Standing in his way is a mysterious villain intent on his destruction.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of villain

Adjective

But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.

— Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.

— Time, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

Definition of proletarian

Noun

Even though the Feeneys have gotten more competitive under the junior Michel’s management, the rascal-on-the-field ethos of the original team still prevails.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Not even the curmudgeonly Melvin can bring himself to harm the little rascal.

— Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026

Definition of rascal

Browse Nearby Words

low-level

low-life

lowlife

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Low-life.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/low-life. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of low-life

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes