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

But the work serving the current populations can be arduous and challenging – demonstrated here as the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) team can be seen springing into action after a rhino reacted badly to anesthesia. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

And in Friday’s 5-4 win over the badly slumping Kansas City Royals, that once again proved to be the case. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025

And Israel's international reputation has been badly tarnished by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the huge number of Palestinian civilian deaths in the territory. —Greg Myre, NPR, 28 June 2025

Deputies responded to a 911 call in Camden at 10:32 p.m. Sunday, June 22, and arrived to find a woman badly bleeding from a cut to her leg, the Preble County Sheriff’s Office told WHIO. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 25 June 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