View synonyms for bad

bad

[bad]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

worse, worst , badder, baddest .

not good in any manner or degree.
having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible.
There is no such thing as a bad boy.
Synonyms: atrocious, criminal, sinful, base, corrupt, depraved
of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient.
a bad diamond;
a bad spark plug.
inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use.
bad heating;
Living conditions in some areas are very bad.
inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty.
a bad guess.
invalid, unsound, or false.
a bad insurance claim;
bad judgment.
causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful.
Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill.
He felt bad from eating the green apples.
not healthy or in good physical condition; diseased, decayed, or physically weakened.
A bad heart kept him out of the army.
tainted, spoiled, or rotten, especially to the point of being inedible.
The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.
having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency; unfavorable.
The drought is bad for the farmers.
His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.
causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance; disagreeable; unpleasant.
I had a bad flight to Chicago.
easily provoked to anger; irascible.
a bad temper.
cross, irritable, or surly.
If I don't have my morning coffee, I'm in a bad mood all day.
more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual; severe.
a bad attack of asthma.
causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction.
a bad flood.
regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset.
He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.
disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving.
If you're bad at school, you'll go to bed without supper.
disreputable or dishonorable.
He's getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.
displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment.
a bad painting;
Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.
causing distress; unfortunate or unfavorable.
I'm afraid I have bad news for you.
Synonyms: unhappy, unlucky, adverse
not suitable or appropriate; disadvantageous or dangerous.
It was a bad day for fishing.
inclement; considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc..
We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.
disagreeable or offensive to the senses.
a bad odor.
exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity.
The room was decorated in bad taste.
not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct; coarse.
bad manners.
(of a word, speech, or writing)
1. vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous.
  bad language.
2. not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect.
  He speaks bad English.
unattractive, especially because of a lack of pleasing proportions.
She has a bad figure.
(of the complexion) marred by defects; pockmarked or pimply; blemished.
bad skin.
not profitable or worth the price paid.
The land was a bad buy.
Commerce., deemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss.
a bad debt.
ill-spent; wasted.
Don't throw good money after bad money.
counterfeit; not genuine.
There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.
having the character of a villain; villainous.
In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.
Sports., failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court; missing the mark; not well aimed.
Slang., outstandingly excellent; first-rate.
He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.

noun

that which is bad.
You have to take the bad with the good.
a bad condition, character, or quality.
His health seemed to go from bad to worse.
(used with a plural verb), Usually the bad evil persons collectively.
The bad are always stirring up trouble.

adverb

Informal.

badly.
He wanted it bad enough to steal it.

bad

[bad]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb

Archaic.

a simple past tense of bid.

bad

/ bæd /

adjective

not good; of poor quality; inadequate; inferior
bad workmanship
bad soil
bad light for reading
(often foll by at) lacking skill or talent; incompetent
a bad painter
bad at sports
(often foll by for) harmful
bad air
smoking is bad for you
immoral; evil
a bad life
naughty; mischievous; disobedient
a bad child
rotten; decayed; spoiled
a bad egg
severe; intense
a bad headache
incorrect; wrong; faulty
bad pronunciation
ill or in pain (esp in the phrase feel bad )
regretful, sorry, or upset (esp in the phrase feel bad about )
unfavourable; distressing
bad news
a bad business
offensive; unpleasant; disagreeable
bad language
bad temper
not valid or sound; void
a bad cheque
not recoverable
a bad debt
slang, good; excellent
to deteriorate even more
to putrefy; spoil
informal
1. seriously ill, through sickness or injury
2. in trouble of any kind
See book
to manage as well as possible in unfavourable circumstances
informal, passable; fair; fairly good
informal, very good
informal, (often used dismissively) regrettable

noun

unfortunate or unpleasant events collectively (often in the phrase take the bad with the good )
an immoral or degenerate state (often in the phrase go to the bad )
the debit side of an account
£200 to the bad
informal, my fault or mistake

adverb

not_standard, badly
to want something bad

bad

/ bæd /

verb

a variant of bade

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Usage

The adjective bad meaning “unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,” is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing: I feel bad from overeating. She felt badly about her friend's misfortune. When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs: She reacted badly to the criticism. Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts: I didn't do too bad on the tests. He wants money so bad it hurts. See also badly, good.

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Other Word Forms

baddish adjective
badness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bad¹

First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English badde, bad; origin uncertain; perhaps akin to Old English bæddel “hermaphrodite,” bædling “womanish man”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bad¹

C13: probably from bæd- , as the first element of Old English bǣddel hermaphrodite, bǣdling sodomite

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.
bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances; destitute: Also badly off.
His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job.
go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally; go to ruin.
She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.
too bad, unfortunate or disappointing.
It's too bad that he didn't go to college.
to the bad, in arrears.
He's $100 to the bad on his debt.
my bad, my fault! my mistake!
in bad,
1. in trouble or distress.
2. in disfavor.
  He's in bad with his father-in-law.
not bad, Also not so bad, not too bad.
1. tolerably good; not without merit.
  The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
2. not difficult.
  Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.

More idioms and phrases containing bad

come to an end (bad end)
feel bad
from bad to worse
get off on the wrong foot (to a bad start)
give a bad name
give bad marks to
go bad
in a bad mood
in a bad way
in bad faith
in bad with someone
in someone's bad graces
leave a bad taste in one's mouth
make the best of (a bad bargain)
not a bad sort
not bad
poor (bad) taste
run of (bad) luck
too bad
turn up (like a bad penny)
with bad grace

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In a second interview with Fox News, Hassett shifted blame to the BLS, criticizing their “bad response rates” on job number revisions.

From Salon

You never give him bad news, and you keep him away from those who do.

From Salon

The team has finished with a winning record just twice since 2010 and last three seasons have been the three worst in franchise history.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re just assuming there’s a lot of bad stuff about him the FBI turned up.

From Salon

The deaths of her parents made matters worse.

From BBC

Related Words

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When To Use

What are other ways to say bad?

The adjective bad is a broad term that can describe things that are not good in any manner, or more pointedly, things or people that have a wicked or evil character. How is bad different from evil, wicked, and ill? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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