badly

adverb

bad·​ly ˈbad-lē 

1

: in a bad manner

played badly

2

: to a great or intense degree

want something badly

see also:

badly off for not badly think badly of

Synonyms of badly

• poorly
• bad

Examples of badly in a Sentence

He played badly but I played even worse.

The failure reflects badly on the administration.

She wanted the job badly.

I'm badly in need of a vacation.

His fingers were badly frozen.

Recent Examples on the Web

Matthew Rhys plays mayor Tom Loftis who so badly wants to turn his economically stagnant town into the next Martha’s Vineyard. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Trump also poked Macron by telling a private luncheon in April that his wife, Brigitte Macron, treats her husband badly. —Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026

The story of Reconstruction had been, of course, soiled badly by the historians’ profession, to be honest. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026

Around 30% of global fertilizer supplies flowed through the Strait of Hormuz before the start of the Iran war, with many poorer nations — which import the majority of their needs — left badly exposed. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing badly

• badly off
• badly off for
• not badly
• think badly of

Rhymes for badly

• gladly
• madly
• sadly
• comradely

Kids Definition

badly

adverb

bad·​ly ˈbad-lē 

worse

ˈwərs

; worst

ˈwərst

1

: in a bad manner

played badly

2

: very much

wanted the jeans badly