Using poorly as an adjective means "unwell" or "somewhat ill," and you can certainly say "I feel poorly" to mean the same thing as "I feel ill." "Poor" is an adjective with several different meanings, and if you said "I feel poor" it would most likely be taken to mean "I feel like I do not have enough money."

Saying "I am poorly" is not more or less correct, but it changes the meaning of the sentence. The difference between "I am poorly" and "I feel poorly" is the same as between "I am ill" and "I feel ill." It's possible to feel poorly without actually being ill, and vice versa. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Can you solve 4 words at once? Get Word of the Day daily email! The meaning of POORLY is in a poor condition or manner; especially : in an inferior or imperfect way : badly. How to use poorly in a sentence.

"Poor" is an adjective with several different meanings, and if you said "I feel poor" it would most likely be taken to mean "I feel like I do not have enough money." Saying "I am poorly" is not more or less correct, but it changes the meaning of the sentence.