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, Scotland)

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 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

Thelma struggled badly with separation anxiety. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the Babygirl star and the country music singer agreed to a parenting plan and are not to speak badly of each other or other members of the other parent's family. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 20 Nov. 2025

His production fell off in 2024-25, and the Oilers badly need a strong offensive season from the top winger on the club. —Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

Fort Worth itself was badly in need of Christian uplift. —Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 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