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

Delane was eventually going to fall asleep Thursday night as the top cornerback off the board, headed to a team that coveted him badly enough to surrender three picks for his services. —Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

While in prison, Jaabis made headlines for demanding cosmetic surgery on her badly scarred face. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

This is not the first time that badly behaved tourists have been linked to damaged to the fountain. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026

But its legacy badly damaged the target. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 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