bad

adjective

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\ ˈbad

worse\ ˈwərs

\; worst\ ˈwərst

Definition of bad

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

2a : 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

5a : injurious, harmful a bad influence

b : serious, severe in bad trouble a bad cough

6 : incorrect, faulty bad grammar

7a : suffering pain or distress felt generally bad

b : unhealthy, diseased bad teeth

8 : sorrowful, sorry feels bad about forgetting to call

9a : 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 anywhere — Black Collegian

b : tough, mean the baddest guy on the block

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

bad

noun

Definition of bad (Entry 2 of 3)

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

adverb

Definition of bad (Entry 3 of 3)

: badly not doing so bad doesn't want it bad enough

Other Words from bad Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About bad

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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 And failing to comply with this particular rule could cost up to $14,000, the White House said Friday, which would be bad for business in more ways than one. — Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2021 Not bad for a business highly exposed to the struggling commercial airline industry. — Mike Hofman, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2021 That is bad for San Diego’s economy, which saw substantial meeting and convention business in the past. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2021 From the company perspective, there is a risk in reducing the salaries for those who move, since any reduction, no matter the reason, is bad for morale. — Katherine Bindley, WSJ, 10 Sep. 2021 Not bad for a party that has never won more than a single seat. — Ian Bremmer, Time, 10 Sep. 2021 Not bad for an all-around athlete who’s also considered one of best volleyball recruits. — Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2021 Authorities always warn residents to keep garbage and food safely stored to prevent bears from developing bad habits that can lead to them relying on human food. — Matthias Gafni, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Sep. 2021 Marcel hesitantly agrees, worried that so much commotion could be bad for Connie (who may not be far from seashell heaven), and this already self-aware faux doc takes on an even more meta dimension. — Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And yet, no, Savathun is not the big bad of the entire Destiny franchise. — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2021 Wanda and Captain Marvel, the only other female Avenger to helm her own property so far, are the two members of the team who could have defeated the big bad of the last two Avengers films, Thanos. — New York Times, 11 Mar. 2021 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, 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, 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, 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, 31 Oct. 2017 Domestic Goods — and Bads: Robin Thicke and model girlfriend April Love Geary are expecting a baby. … — Christie D'zurilla, latimes.com, 19 Aug. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb According to the indictment, DeGuzman was one of Francis’ more enthusiastic cheerleaders, doing his bidding from the inside, supplying him with proprietary information and bad-mouthing his competitors to help give Francis an edge. — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2021 In particular, be careful about bad-mouthing the other person when a friendship draws to a close. — Michelle Icard, CNN, 6 Aug. 2021 There was a definite feeling of having been good-cop-bad-copped that evening. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2021 Too much direct sunlight could also cause produce to go bad more quickly, which would result in squishy tomatoes, limp lettuce, overripe strawberries, and bananas that are only good for banana bread. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 June 2021 This is part of the reason why there are so few bad-sounding earphones on the market. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 18 June 2021 Maybe Monday was just one of those random variance bad-shooting nights for the Utah Jazz. — Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 May 2021 Thanks to its unique structure and makeup; the pores trap odors perfectly, while carbon (the chemical element that's abundant in charcoal) absorbs bad-smelling particles. — Flora Tsapovsky, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2021 There's a long history of Superman turning bad; there's a long history of Superman doing anything. — Darren Franich, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2021

These 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.

History and Etymology for bad

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

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Learn More About bad

Dictionary Entries Near bad

bacury

bad

bada bing

Statistics for bad

Last Updated

14 Sep 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad. Accessed 19 Sep. 2021.

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More Definitions for bad

bad

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of bad

(Entry 1 of 3)

: low or poor in quality

: not correct or proper

: not pleasant, pleasing, or enjoyable

bad

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bad (Entry 2 of 3)

: morally bad forces or influences : evil

: the unpleasant things that happen to people

: things that are morally wrong

bad

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of bad (Entry 3 of 3)

: badly

See the full definition for bad in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bad

adjective

\ ˈbad

worse\ ˈwərs \; worst\ ˈwərst \

Kids Definition of bad

1 : not good : poor bad weather bad work

2 : not favorable a bad report bad times

3 : not fresh or sound bad meat

4 : not good or right : evil a bad person "You are ignorant, boy," said Miss Lupescu. "This is bad. And you are content to be ignorant, which is worse."— Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

5 : not behaving properly a bad dog

6 : not enough bad lighting

7 : unpleasant bad news

8 : harmful bad for the health

9 : serious sense 2, severe a bad cold in bad trouble

10 : not correct bad spelling bad manners

11 : not cheerful or calm a bad mood

12 : not healthy bad teeth He felt bad from a cold.

13 : sorry sense 1 I felt bad about my mistake.

14 : not skillful a bad musician

Choose the Right Synonym for bad

bad, evil, and wicked mean not doing or being what is right. bad is used of anyone or anything that a person might dislike or find fault with. He had to stay after school for bad behavior. evil is a more powerful word than bad and is used for something of bad moral character. Criminals were planning evil deeds. wicked is used of someone or something that is truly and deliberately bad. He was a very wicked ruler who caused many people harm.