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)
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
: fairly or acceptably well
The economy is doing not badly and looks even better than it really is.—Tom Teepen
Tom Teepen
: to have an unfavorable or low opinion of (someone or something)
"Will you think badly of me if I disagree?"
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
Ben Simmons missed a hook in the paint badly and wasn’t used after the first quarter.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Nazar, 13, is on the long road to recovery with support from UNICEF and partners after being badly injured by an explosive remnant of war in eastern Ukraine.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Related article A day without power: What 12 hours of darkness looked like in Spain and Portugal
Travel was badly hit: Flights were canceled in airports across Spain and Portugal.
—Robert Picheta, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
The vibes shouldn’t be good around the team, the Lakers having been badly beaten at the close of quarters and in the fourth quarter throughout the series.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
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Law Murray, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Nazar, 13, is on the long road to recovery with support from UNICEF and partners after being badly injured by an explosive remnant of war in eastern Ukraine.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Related article A day without power: What 12 hours of darkness looked like in Spain and Portugal
Travel was badly hit: Flights were canceled in airports across Spain and Portugal.
—Robert Picheta, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
The vibes shouldn’t be good around the team, the Lakers having been badly beaten at the close of quarters and in the fourth quarter throughout the series.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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
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