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

That outside money is functioning as a financial backstop for GOP candidates who trail badly in direct fundraising. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Ohtani and Will Smith slumped badly throughout the Division Series win over Atlanta in four games and the NLCS defeat. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Handled badly, that conflict can jeopardize the entire investment case. — Simon Wells, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Kenya hiked fuel prices in order to contain surging government spending sparked by the war in the Middle East, which has badly exposed Africa’s reliance on energy imports. — semafor.com, 15 Oct. 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