bad

¹bad

adj \ˈbad\

worse\ˈwərs\worst\ˈwərst\

Definition of BAD

1

a : failing to reach an acceptable standard : poor <a bad repair job> b : unfavorable <make a bad impression> c : not fresh : spoiled <bad fish> d : not sound : dilapidated <the house was in bad condition>

2

a : morally objectionable : evil <bad men> b : mischievous, disobedient <a bad dog>

3

: inadequate or unsuited to a purpose <a bad plan> <bad lighting>

4

: disagreeable, unpleasant <bad news>

5

a : injurious, harmful <a bad influence> b : serious, severe <in bad trouble> <a bad cough>

6

: incorrect, faulty <bad grammar>

7

a : suffering pain or distress <felt generally bad> b : unhealthy, diseased <bad teeth>

8

: sorrowful, sorry <feels bad about forgetting to call>

9

a : invalid, void <a bad check> b : not able to be collected <a bad debt>

10

bad·der bad·dest slang a : good, great b : tough, mean

— bad·ness noun

Examples of BAD

1. The house is in bad condition.
2. a letter written in bad French
3. He had a bad day at the office.
4. I was having a bad dream.
5. She made a very bad impression on her future colleagues.
6. We've been having bad weather lately.
7. The medicine left a bad taste in his mouth.
8. It's a bad time for business right now.
9. Things are looking pretty bad for us at this point.
10. I have a bad feeling about this.

Origin of BAD

Middle English

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to BAD

Synonyms: bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy (also crumby), deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack [slang], wanting, wretched, wrong, below (or under) par, from hunger

Antonyms: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK (or okay), passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable

Related Words: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' [slang], brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly [slang], horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky [slang], terrible, unspeakable; defective, faulty, flawed; egregious, flagrant, gross; bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy [slang], cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy; abominable, odious, vile; useless, valueless, worthless; inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager (or meagre), mean, miserly, niggardly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy; miscreant, scurrilous, villainous; counterfeit, fake, phony (also phoney), sham

Near Antonyms: classic, classical; A1, bang-up, banner, boss [slang], capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, exceptional, fabulous, fine, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful; better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient; average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional; suitable, useful, worthy; gratifying, satisfying

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with BAD

ad, add, brad, cad, chad, Chad, clad, dad, fad, gad, Gad, glad, grad, lad, mad, pad, plaid, rad, sad, scad, shad, tad, trad