performing poorly

USAGE SUMMARY

"performing poorly" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe someone or something that is not meeting expectations or standards in their performance. Example: The team has been performing poorly in recent matches. Alternative expressions include "underperforming" and "failing to meet expectations."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

When people are labelled poor performers they usually conform to expectations and end up performing poorly.

The Guardian - Opinion

In one study, participants observed an employee performing poorly, and they were asked to rate that performance.

TechCrunch

Algorithm performance was analysed to identify portions of the algorithm that were performing poorly.

BMJ Open

"Productivity is really performing poorly.

The Guardian - Books

Instead, he winds up performing poorly.

The New York Times - Sports

But computers meant to manage the battle are performing poorly.

The New York Times

At the time, the KM group was profitable although performing poorly.

The Guardian

Those performing poorly, or not at all, would surely be conspicuous.

The Guardian

For example, a company's stock price might fall because one of its divisions is performing poorly.

The New York Times

This year, with M&S performing poorly, it could be more.

The Guardian - Business

n/a After performing poorly in London, Great Britain's squad have been trimmed to two.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair the phrase with specific metrics or comparisons (e.g., "performing poorly compared to last year") to add weight to your observation.

Common error

Avoid using the phrase "performing poor". Since "performing" is a verb, it requires the adverbial form "poorly" to modify it. Use "poor performance" if you need an adjective-noun structure instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "performing poorly" functions as a verb phrase composed of the present participle "performing" and the manner adverb "poorly". In the examples provided by Ludwig, it often acts as the predicate of a sentence or as part of a participial phrase modifying a subject. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a correct and usable standard in English writing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

25%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Social Media

3%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "performing poorly" is a robust and highly versatile phrase used to describe sub-par results across various fields. Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically correct and very common in high-quality writing. Whether you are discussing economic stagnation, student grades or mechanical failures, this phrase provides a clear and objective way to convey negative performance. While alternatives like "underperforming" may be slightly more concise in business contexts, "performing poorly" remains a standard choice for both formal and neutral registers.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

underperforming

A single-word professional alternative that is very common in financial and business contexts.

failing to meet expectations

A more formal and descriptive way to emphasize that a specific standard was not reached.

performing badly

A more direct and slightly more casual alternative to the query.

performing inadequately

Uses a more precise, formal adverb to describe performance that is insufficient.

delivering poor results

Shifts the focus from the action of performing to the tangible outcome or output.

failing to deliver

A strong, action-oriented phrase often used in professional critiques.

not up to par

An idiomatic expression suggesting that the performance does not reach the required level.

lagging behind

Suggests that the performance is poor relative to competitors or a set schedule.

struggling

Implies that the subject is having difficulty, which often results in poor performance.

operating inefficiently

More suitable for mechanical, technical or systemic performance descriptions.

FAQs

How do I use "performing poorly" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe any entity failing to meet a standard, such as: "The stock has been "performing poorly" since the merger."

What is a more professional way to say "performing poorly"?

In professional settings, you might prefer terms like ""underperforming"" or "failing to meet KPIs".

Is "performing poorly" or "performing bad" correct?

The phrase "performing poorly" is correct because "poorly" is an adverb. "Performing bad" is grammatically incorrect in standard English; you should use "performing badly" instead.

When should I use "poor performance" instead of "performing poorly"?

Use "poor performance" as a noun phrase (e.g., "We noticed his poor performance"), and use "performing poorly" as a verb phrase (e.g., "He is performing poorly").