poorly paid

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "poorly paid" is correct and usable in written English.
It is usually used to describe a job where the salary or wages are low or less than expected or hoped for. Example sentence: Chad was unable to find a well-paying job, so he accepted the offer of a poorly paid position at the local store.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

It remained poorly paid.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Teachers are already poorly paid.

The New Yorker

Public servants are poorly paid.

The Economist

Those with jobs are poorly paid.

The Economist

Because public safety employees are poorly paid?

The Economist

The work was sporadic and poorly paid.

The Guardian - Film

It will probably be poorly paid.

The Guardian

Cross is currently advising 30,000 poorly paid women clients.

The Guardian

Company poorly paid, cheap scenery but gives excellent performance.

The New Yorker

Local police were poorly paid and, therefore, incompetent and corrupt.

The New Yorker

"Poorly paid and badly treated public servants have had enough.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "poorly paid" when you want to describe the objective level of income, whereas you should use "underpaid" if you wish to imply that the worker deserves more for their specific skills.

Common error

Do not use "poorly paid" to describe a billionaire who just lost a legal case regarding their salary. The phrase carries a strong socioeconomic connotation related to poverty or struggle. For high-earning individuals who are simply receiving less than their contract specifies, use "undercompensated" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "poorly paid" functions as a compound adjective formed by the adverb "poorly" and the past participle "paid". It is most frequently used as a predicative adjective following a linking verb (e.g., "The police were "poorly paid"") or as an attributive adjective modifying a noun. Ludwig AI identifies it as a standard way to qualify labor compensation.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Science

20%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Reference

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "poorly paid" is an essential tool for describing low-wage labor and economic disparity. Data from Ludwig shows that it is human_verified and widely utilized by prestigious sources such as The Economist and The Guardian. It is grammatically classified as an adverb-adjective compound and, unlike many other compound modifiers, it should not be hyphenated. While it is similar to ""underpaid"", the latter often carries a subjective judgment of worth, whereas "poorly paid" is a more direct description of a low income level. Its high frequency in Science and News & Media confirms its status as a reliable and professional term for discussing financial compensation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

low-paid

Uses a standard hyphenated adjective form which is often interchangeable in attributive positions.

underpaid

Suggests that the pay is not only low but also unfair relative to the effort or value provided.

badly paid

A slightly more emotive and common alternative in British English.

poorly remunerated

A formal, professional alternative often found in business or legal documentation.

ill-paid

A more traditional or literary variant of the phrase.

insufficiently compensated

Emphasizes the inadequacy of the total benefits package, not just the salary.

meagerly paid

Highlights the small, insufficient nature of the earnings.

minimally paid

Refers specifically to pay that is at or very near the legal minimum limit.

earning a pittance

An idiomatic expression emphasizing that the amount is insultingly small.

working for peanuts

An informal and idiomatic way to describe extremely low wages.

FAQs

How do you use "poorly paid" in a sentence?

You can use it as a descriptor for a job or a person, for example: "Many essential workers remain "poorly paid" despite their importance to society."

Is it "poorly paid" or "low-paid"?

Both are correct. While "poorly paid" is very common in narrative and news writing, "low-paid" is frequently used as a compound adjective before a noun.

What is a more formal way to say "poorly paid"?

In a professional or academic context, you might use "poorly remunerated" or "insufficiently compensated".

Does "poorly paid" need a hyphen?

No. Unlike other compound adjectives, phrases starting with an adverb ending in -ly like "poorly paid" do not take a hyphen, even when they come before the noun they modify.