bad

1 of 3

adjective

worse ˈwərs How to pronounce bad (audio) ; worst ˈwərst How to pronounce bad (audio)
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
badder; baddest slang
a
: good, great
one of the baddest songwriters to be found anywhereBlack Collegian
b
: tough, mean
the baddest guy on the block
badness noun

bad

2 of 3

noun

1
: something that is bad
There's more good than bad in him.
Take the good with the bad.
2
: an evil or unhappy state
Things went from bad to worse.
3
: fault sense 2
the mistake was my bad

bad

3 of 3

adverb

: badly
not doing so bad
doesn't want it bad enough
Phrases
not bad
: fairly or acceptably good
She eyes the other girls' clothes. A bright orange skirt. Good. A black cocktail dress with a gold belt. Not bad. A white dress with a blousy, frilly top. Hideous.Karl Taro Greenfeld
: quite good or impressive
For the second time in three games, Patrick Roy blanked the Dallas Stars. Not bad for a player who insists he is not a shutout goalie.The New York Times

Examples of bad in a Sentence

Adjective The house is in bad condition. a letter written in bad French He had a bad day at the office. I was having a bad dream. She made a very bad impression on her future colleagues. We've been having bad weather lately. The medicine left a bad taste in his mouth. It's a bad time for business right now. Things are looking pretty bad for us at this point. I have a bad feeling about this. Noun There's more good than bad in him. We need to teach our children the difference between good and bad. teaching children the difference between the good and the bad He believes that the good go to heaven when they die and the bad go to hell. Adverb He hasn't succeeded because he doesn't want it bad enough. you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The first test of leadership for the people making these decisions — and seeking to make even more consequential decisions for our state — should be not making our biggest problem worse. Liz Perlman, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 But to make the unfathomable tragedy worse, news of Cash’s death was immediately seized on by internet users and Australian tabloids, who speculated and blamed things like vaccines, unsafe sleep habits — and even Salt herself — on his death. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Provocation Also, ask what makes the pain worse, or provokes it. Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2024 As for Champion-Cain’s latest effort to secure an early release from prison, longtime San Diego defense attorney Jan Ronis said that such requests, based on allegations of bad conduct by prosecutors, rarely are successful. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024 Sunil has to do his penance for getting in bed with bad people. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 For months, Biden has tried to joke his way out of voters’ concerns over his age — or worse, reacted angrily to questions about it. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Picking another fight where precedent is against the FTC seems like a bad idea. The Editors, National Review, 4 Mar. 2024 The Pistons, which entered Monday tied for the NBA’s worst record at 9-51, ruled out Buddy Boeheim (G League), Tosan Evbuomwan (G League), Jaren Rhoden (G League) and Stanley Umude (G League) for Tuesday’s game in Miami. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Despite the obvious bad, there was undeniable good. Mellissa Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023 Good drama is the choice between two bads. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023 In the Avenge the Earth storyline, those big bads included Apocalypse, the first mutant, and, of course, Kang the Conqueror. Joe George, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023 Then a new big bad entered the arena. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 15 Apr. 2022 So what was the rationale behind introducing our new big bad in the exact opposite way? Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2023 In addition to setting up the Multiverse Saga, the film also includes the introduction of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who serves as the new big bad for the MCU. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2023 The first to face this new big bad of the MCU’s Phases 5 and 6 will be the multigenerational Lang-Van Dyne-Pym clan, who can also collectively be called Ant-Mans and the Wasps. Tracy Brownstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023 Jonathan Majors is playing Marvel's new big bad, Kang the Conqueror, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and beyond. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 15 Feb. 2023
Adverb
That started off bad and got better. Vulture, 21 Feb. 2023 That’s one bad-looking snap through two games. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2022 Who wants frustrated and stressed-out workers bad-mouthing the company to their peers, right? Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023 Ignoring one of them can lead you to bad-looking maps no one would prefer. J. Richard Gott, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2021 The researchers think that by expelling their bad-tasting innards when fish are nibbling nearby, sea squirts may drive the fish away. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2015 However, employees can’t be completely reckless on social media, making untrue or maliciously disparaging statements, or bad-mouthing their employer with broad-stroke commentary. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2022 After an online Twitter feud where CZ accused SBF of allegedly bad-mouthing him to regulators, the Binance CEO announced on Sunday the company would be dumping all of its holdings of FTT, a token used by FTX customers. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2022 Also, if exposed to too much heat, humidity, or other elements, the gummies can go bad faster than the expiration date. Laxmi Corp, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English badde, bad, of obscure origin

Note: The Middle English word apparently appears as a surname or element in surnames in the 13th century, but as an independent adjective not before the 14th century. The supposed connection with the marginally attested Old English words bæddel, bædling (vowel length uncertain) "hermaphrodite, homosexual" is possible but uncertain (direct descent of badde from bæddel through phonetic reduction is unlikely).

Noun

Middle English badde, noun derivative of badde bad entry 1

Adverb

adverbial derivative of bad entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Adverb

1575, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near bad

Cite this Entry

“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bad

1 of 3 adjective
worse ˈwərs How to pronounce bad (audio) ; worst ˈwərst How to pronounce bad (audio)
1
a
: below standard : poor
b
: not favorable
a bad impression
c
: rotten sense 1
bad meat
2
: not good or right : morally evil or wrong
a bad person
bad behavior
3
: not enough
bad lighting
4
5
a
: harmful
bad for the health
b
: severe sense 3
a bad cold
6
: incorrect, faulty
bad spelling
7
8
: sorrowful sense 1, sorry
don't feel bad about losing
badness noun

bad

2 of 3 noun
1
: a bad thing or part
take the bad with the good
2
: a bad or unhappy state
go to the bad

bad

3 of 3 adverb
: badly
not doing so bad

Legal Definition

bad

adjective
: not valid : void
bad notice
especially : not covered by sufficient funds
a bad check

More from Merriam-Webster on bad

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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