foully

Meanings

1. 1adverb

   In a way that is unfair, dishonest, or against the rules, especially in sports.

   Grammar: Used to describe how an action is done, often after verbs like 'play' or 'treat'.

   Patterns

   • play foully
   • treat someone foully
   • win foully

   The team was accused of playing foully to win the match.

   He treated his opponent foully, ignoring all the rules of the game.

   She felt she had been dealt with foully by the committee.

2. 2adverb

   In a disgusting or very unpleasant way; in a foul manner.

   Grammar: Describes something done in a physically offensive or dirty way.

   Patterns

   • smell foully
   • taste foully
   • behave foully

   The kitchen smelled foully after the rubbish was left out for days.

   The medicine tasted foully, but it worked.

   He behaved foully at the party, upsetting everyone.

Common combinations

play foully

The coach warned his players never to play foully, even if they were losing.

treat someone foully

The prisoners were treated foully by the guards.

smell foully

The river smelled foully near the factory.

behave foully

He behaved foully towards his colleagues and was later dismissed.

Synonyms and how they differ

unfairly

This is the most general word for not following the rules; 'foully' is stronger and often suggests deliberate cheating.

dishonestly

This focuses on lying or cheating; 'foully' can also mean physically disgusting.

dirty

In sports, 'dirty' is informal and means the same as 'foully', but 'foully' is more formal.

Opposites

Word family

foul adjective

Unpleasant, dirty, or against the rules.

foul noun

An act that is against the rules in a sport.

foul verb

To make something dirty or to commit a foul in sports.

Commonly confused: foully or fowl?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “foully”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words