Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

not a bad thing

Definition of not a bad thing

:something that could have good results
  • Becoming friends with your boss is not a bad thing.

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
alt-59e50f5a357b4
'Spox' May Go On The Record
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Word by Word Definitions

bad play

  1. : failing to reach an acceptable standard : poor

  2. : unfavorable

  3. : not fresh : spoiled

  1. : something that is bad

  2. : an evil or unhappy state

  3. : fault

  1. : badly

See the full definition of bad
thing play

  1. : an object or entity not precisely designated or capable of being designated

  2. : an inanimate object distinguished from a living being

  3. : a separate and distinct individual quality, fact, idea, or usually entity

See the full definition of thing

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up not a bad thing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

euphony

play

pleasing or sweet sound

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  2. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  3. mike "microphone"

  4. moron “a very stupid person”

  5. terrorism “The use of violent acts to frighten"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59e50f5a357b4
'Spox' May Go On The Record

From newsroom lingo to the mainstream

alt-59e506c5c02ae
C'mon, Of Course 'Myriad' Is a Noun

For a myriad of reasons

alt-59e12097b419d
'Gamut' and 'Gambit' (and 'Gauntlet' Too)

Know when to use (or run) each.

tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
rembrandt-painting-a-young-scholar-and-his-tutor
Original Meanings Quiz

A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game