Definition of badly
1 : in a bad manner played badly
2 : to a great or intense degree want something badly
badly off for
BritishBritish
: strongly in need of (something or someone) It may seem pie in the sky in the current financial climate, but few could argue that for a city of its size and prestige, Edinburgh is badly off for large-scale sports facilities. — The Evening News (Edinburgh)
not badly
: fairly or acceptably well The economy is doing not badly and looks even better than it really is. — Tom Teepen
think badly of
: to have an unfavorable or low opinion of (someone or something) “You shouldn't think badly of the town because of this,” said Brogan. “It is a good town.” — Neil Gaiman
From the M-W Editors
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.
14th Century
First Known Use of badly
14th century
BADLY Defined for English Language Learners
badly
playDefinition of badly for English Language Learners
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: in a bad manner
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: very much : to a great degree
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: severely or seriously
BADLY Defined for Kids
badly
playDefinition of badly for Students
worse
\ˈwərs\;worst
\ˈwərst\1 : in a bad manner He behaved badly.
2 : very much I badly wanted to win.
Learn More about badly
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See words that rhyme with badly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for badly Spanish Central: Translation of badly Nglish: Translation of badly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of badly for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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