Lamer

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A person who lacks skill or is perceived as inferior in a particular activity or area
2. someone who exhibits a lack of sophistication or coolness in social situations
3. an individual whose actions or attitudes are seen as uninteresting or uninspired in comparison to others

Etymology: "Lamer" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "lame" with the agentive-comparative suffix "-er" attached. The "-er" ending has a long pedigree. It traces back through Middle English and Old English "-ere" to a Proto-Germanic suffix, and it passed into English partly through Old French "-ier," which itself descends from Latin "-arius," a suffix used to form nouns and adjectives denoting a person or thing connected with something. The base word "lame" has a physical origin. It meant disabled in the legs or feet, and its sense of being weak, unconvincing or unsatisfying in a figurative way came later. "Lamer" carries that figurative sense: a person whose conduct or attitude seems dull, feeble or unimpressive next to others. The word's meaning is therefore a shift from a physical limp to a social one, and the suffix simply gives it the sense of a person who is that way.

Synonyms: weaker, less skilled, inferior, less impressive, less capable

Antonyms: better, stronger, superior, more skilled, more impressive