bad
adjective
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worst\ ˈwərst
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Definition of bad
(Entry 1 of 3)
bad
nounDefinition of bad (Entry 2 of 3)
bad
adverbDefinition of bad (Entry 3 of 3)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for bad
Synonyms: Adjective
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
Synonyms: Noun
evil, evildoing, ill, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wrong
Synonyms: Adverb
badly, deficiently, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, wretchedly
Antonyms: Adjective
acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK (or okay), passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
Antonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adverb
acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK (or okay), palatably, passably, satisfactorily, so-so, tolerably, well
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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
If Keane is next in line to pair up with Maguire, Three Lions' fans must be fearing the worst. — SI.com, "Why England's New 'Golden Generation' are Set Up for Glorious Failure," 11 Sep. 2019 The March 11, 2011 earthquake that caused the disaster was the worst ever to hit Japan. — Yoko Wakatsuki, CNN, "Dump Fukushima contaminated water into ocean, says Japan's environment minister," 10 Sep. 2019 The worst of the bunch are drippy, odd colored or cloying, due to added sugar or too much apple concentrate, the most popular sweetener. — Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, "Taste-off: The best lunchbox fruit pouches at Bay Area markets," 9 Sep. 2019 Last year, many districts around the Bay Area shut down campuses for at least a day during the worst of the Camp Fire pollution. — Erin Allday, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area warned to prepare for smoky air during wildfire season," 9 Sep. 2019 The world has changed a lot since then — for better and for worse. — Bruce Deboskey, The Denver Post, "On Philanthropy: In the eyes of business leaders, “social purpose” has replaced “shareholder capitalism”," 8 Sep. 2019 Astros outfielder George Springer returned to the lineup Sunday, none the worse for wear after suffering a concussion in a collision with the outfield wall at Miller Park in Milwaukee last Tuesday. — David Barron, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' George Springer returns to lineup," 8 Sep. 2019 The 62-10 beating in a blast-furnace of an afternoon saw the nation’s No. 2 to overwhelm a team ranked among the worst in the FBS. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "AL.com instant analysis: What Alabama achieved in 52-point blowout," 7 Sep. 2019 Things quickly made a turn for the worst as the season approached. — Danielle Garrand, CBS News, "Antonio Brown released by Oakland Raiders," 7 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The accidental bumps and sorrys and quiet my bads create a low hum as the group finds its rhythm behind Jaydon. — Adam Harris, The Atlantic, "The Fine Line Campus Tour Guides Walk—Backwards," 29 Aug. 2019 And the true halfway point of Mr. Robot would’ve come sometime during S3, which ends by finally putting Elliot in direct odds with big bads White Rose and the Dark Army. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Mr. Robot S3: If you abandoned f-society last year, it’s time to come back," 14 Dec. 2017 Some good news to buffer the bad: Andreas Athanasiou will practice with the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday, and could be in the lineup this trip. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Red Wings lament lack of offense, look forward to Athanasiou's return," 25 Oct. 2017 Our big bads in the Hawkins federal lab seem to be ramping up to factor heavily into this modern theme. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Stranger Things 2: The hype strikes back, but the story alliance is ready," 31 Oct. 2017 Domestic Goods — and Bads: Robin Thicke and model girlfriend April Love Geary are expecting a baby. … — Christie D'zurilla, latimes.com, "Did You Hear ... ? Late-night TV takes on Trump, Tom Cruise lands hard and more from the week in entertainment," 19 Aug. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Not bad from an actress from Russellville, Alabama. — John Hammontree | Jhammontree@al.com, al, "Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek, Walking Dead, Space Jam and Alabama," 12 Aug. 2019 And people are pretty good at seeing their own behavior in the best light and pretty bad at seeing an invidious pattern to their assumptions. — New York Times, "What Should I Do About My Racially Obtuse Co-Worker?," 2 July 2019 An Arizona Department of Child Safety report orders a parent to keep their court hearings and DCS meetings secret from news media, politicians and anyone who may bad-mouth the government. — Arizona Republic, "Did Arizona Department of Child Services try to bar parents from criticizing it?," 16 July 2019 And though Koepka will have to wait another month before going for major No. 5, at the British Open at Royal Portrush, his résumé didn’t take too bad a hit. — Eddie Pells, BostonGlobe.com, "Brooks Koepka sparkles in US Open but settles for second," 17 June 2019 And though Koepka will have to wait another month before going for major No. 5, at the British Open at Royal Portrush, his resume didn’t take too bad a hit. — Eddie Pells, The Denver Post, "Brooks Koepka makes U.S. Open history, but no 3 in a row," 17 June 2019 Mirroring the Scientology custom whereby anyone who bad-mouths the church is ostracized as a nonperson, the practice smacks of a cult. — Lionel Shriver, Harper's magazine, "Cruel and Unusual Punishment," 10 Feb. 2019 Apart from all the hurricane of all that fire coming up real bad. — Mark Phillips, CBS News, "97-year-old former paratrooper makes another jump 75 years after D-Day," 5 June 2019 As bad a beating as the left took this year, losses may be starker and deeper in years to come. — The Economist, "Justice Kennedy is retiring. What happens now?," 30 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Statistics for bad
Last Updated
14 Sep 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for bad
The first known use of bad was in the 13th century
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More Definitions for bad
bad
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of bad
(Entry 1 of 2)
bad
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of bad (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for bad in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bad
adjective
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Kids Definition of bad
bad
adjectiveLegal Definition of bad
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