badly

adverb

bad·​ly ˈbad-lē 

1

: in a bad manner

played badly

2

: to a great or intense degree

want something badly

Phrases

badly off for

British

: 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)

Will you think badly of me if I disagree?

Synonyms

• 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

This, too, helps explain why Cracker Barrel got burned so badly. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

If the Jayhawks lose this one badly, there will be a lot of disappointment and negativity all around. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025

Miran’s promise to resist political pressure, however, is key to reassuring financial markets, which have reacted badly to Trump’s campaign against the central bank. —semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025

The proposal to cut two public holidays in France also went down badly. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing badly

• badly off

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