cope poorly

USAGE SUMMARY

"cope poorly" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe someone's ineffective handling of a difficult situation. Example: "After the sudden loss, she seemed to cope poorly with her emotions." Alternative expressions include "struggle to cope" and "handle badly."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

People who are depressed or anxious, cope poorly with stress, are unhappy in their jobs or have psychological issues are more likely to remain disabled by back pain.

Johns Hopkins University

Knockouts of Srx cope poorly with oxidative stress, with cells showing dramatically increased levels of Prx hyperoxidation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial membrane potential collapse.

Biochemistry

The 'happy' subgroup of LIS survivors may indeed be those capable of high flexibility and plasticity who have fully succeeded in recalibrating, reprioritising and reorienting their needs and values, whereas the low raters cope poorly because they cannot shed the needs and values from their previous life.

BMJ Open

For example, it may be assumed that individuals with high scores on morningness (morning larks) cope well with day shifts but cope poorly with night shifts, whereas the opposite is assumed to be the case for individuals with low scores on morningness (night owls).

BMJ Open

Although these lab yeast strains are reported to cope poorly with high osmotic pressure as found in grape juice [ 13], we and others have shown that the S288c derived diploid BY4743 and haploids BY4741 (data not shown) and BY4742 [ 13], are able to complete fermentation in high sugar media [ 14, 15], provided their auxotrophic requirements are met.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

A census in 1998 found that 26% of the population is foreign; C��te d'Ivoire has coped poorly with successive waves of immigration from poorer west African neighbours.

The Economist

Maybe it's the unforgiving perspective they provide, inappropriate for general consumption … or the spector [sic] of someone coping poorly with their weight or advancing age that makes yoga pants so weird in public.

The Guardian

Your Nov. 14 news article about the reaction of three generations to the war on terrorism seems to indicate that young people have been coping poorly with the new realities.

The New York Times

The reason why the unique words in Table 2 are more than double for compared to is because Icelandic is a highly inflected language and the SBS translation system can cope with those kinds of words as well as word tenses and words articles to some extent whereas the WBW translation system copes poorly.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

"Maybe it's the unforgiving perspective they provide, inappropriate for general consumption, TMI, or the spector [sic] of someone coping poorly with their weight or advancing age that makes yoga pants so weird in public".

Huffington Post

I became addicted to the silence, not only because my brain coped poorly with sounds, light, and movement, but also due to the calming clarity that arose from that silence.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "cope poorly", consider the context. It often implies a lack of resilience or inadequate resources to handle a situation. Make sure your writing clearly indicates what is being coped with poorly.

Common error

Avoid using "cope poorly" when you simply mean someone is facing a challenge. "Cope poorly" suggests a demonstrable failure to manage, not just difficulty.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "cope poorly" functions as a verb phrase, where "cope" is the verb and "poorly" is the adverb modifying the verb. This indicates the manner in which someone or something deals with a situation, as affirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

40%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "cope poorly" describes an ineffective response to a challenging situation. Grammatically correct and identified as usable in written English by Ludwig, it appears most often in scientific and news contexts. While relatively rare, "cope poorly" conveys a clear message of inadequacy, with synonyms like "struggle to cope" or "handle badly" offering similar but nuanced alternatives. When using this phrase, ensure the context clearly supports the implication of a demonstrable failure in managing a specific issue.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fail to cope

A straightforward statement of inability to manage or deal with something.

struggle to cope

Emphasizes the effort and difficulty involved in dealing with something.

handle badly

Focuses on the negative outcome of dealing with a situation.

manage inadequately

Highlights the lack of sufficient skill or resources in dealing with something.

deal with ineffectively

Stresses the lack of positive results when addressing a situation.

not handle well

A more general way of saying something was not dealt with successfully.

be overwhelmed by

Indicates a feeling of being unable to manage due to the size or intensity of something.

fall apart under pressure

Implies a complete breakdown in the ability to manage a stressful situation.

crack under stress

Similar to 'fall apart', suggesting a failure to maintain composure or function effectively.

mishandle the situation

Specifically refers to incorrect or inappropriate management of a particular circumstance.

FAQs

How can I use "cope poorly" in a sentence?

You can use "cope poorly" to describe someone's inability to handle a difficult situation effectively. For example: "People who are depressed or anxious "cope poorly" with stress."

What are some alternatives to "cope poorly"?

Some alternatives include "struggle to cope", "handle badly", or "fail to cope". Choose the one that best fits the specific context.

Is it correct to say "cope badly" instead of "cope poorly"?

While "cope badly" is understandable, "cope poorly" is generally preferred in formal writing. Both convey a similar meaning, but "cope poorly" aligns more with standard adverbial usage.

What's the difference between "cope poorly" and "cope effectively"?

"Cope poorly" indicates an unsuccessful attempt to manage a situation, while "cope effectively" implies a successful and resourceful approach. They are antonyms, representing opposite ends of the spectrum of handling challenges.