1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: to a great or intense degree
want something badly
see also:
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
In more serious cases where a pet is badly harmed or dies, prosecutors can pursue a felony animal cruelty charge.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The Mets are badly missing Juan Soto, who is out with a strained calf, and is expected to be out another week or two.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the once invincible ‘Magnificent 7’ stocks are trailing the market badly this year.
—John Melloy, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
Just like our Hornets game, this will end badly.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The Mets are badly missing Juan Soto, who is out with a strained calf, and is expected to be out another week or two.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the once invincible ‘Magnificent 7’ stocks are trailing the market badly this year.
—John Melloy, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
Just like our Hornets game, this will end badly.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
