bad 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbad How to pronounce bad (audio)
Definition of badnext
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable stealing is just plain bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm sitting too close to the television is said to be bad for the eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior the children were bad, so they didn't get dessert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in sad
feeling unhappiness hearing about the world's miseries always makes him feel bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in defective
having a fault a bad video connection that is causing some picture loss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown I think the milk has turned bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses the air in the damp basement had a very bad smell

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in terrible
of low quality bad shoes that fell apart within a week

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body I've been feeling bad all week with this cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in null
having no legal or binding force all known claims on the property were dismissed by the court as bad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in malicious
slang having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bad

2 of 3

adverb

as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bad

3 of 3

noun

as in wrong
that which is morally unacceptable there's bad and good in people of every race and nationality

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bad
Adjective
Now 69, Pharaoh is slowed by bad knees from long years working as a chef and firefighter. — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026 That leaves you managing two sets of obligations instead of one, potentially making your financial situation considerably worse. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adverb
Pull leftovers that still need to be eaten to the front, along with any foods that are going to go bad soon. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2025 This can make your water smell bad, affect the taste, and could lead to illness. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Nov. 2025
Noun
In times when the city's bad seems to overshadow the good, Daniels and others like him can be a guidepost for generations to come. — Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025 While working together on The Unit, David Mamet once told you that good drama isn’t a choice between good and bad; good drama is the choice between two bads. — Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad
  1. unacceptable
  2. evil
  3. harmful
  4. naughty
  5. sad
  6. defective
  7. rotten
  8. unpleasant
Adjective
  • Detection is no substitute for prevention, not when consequences are truly unacceptable.
    — Andrew Ginter, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The win won’t change what’s frankly been an unacceptable campaign for a program that was 18-1-4 just two seasons ago.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • What Baldwin is lamenting is our tendency to fall back on binaries — right and wrong, good and evil — rather than to struggle with complexity.
    — David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • It's based on a Russian fairy tale called the Firebird, which is about a young prince who rescues a coterie of princesses from an evil sorcerer.
    — Libby Smith, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Their contracts can run hundreds of pages, making harmful terms easy to bury.
    — Emma Witman, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • Don't get too friendly, though–some of the more naughty giraffes like to give the occasional head butt.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The film’s naughty, not-quite-PG side is perfectly exemplified by its titular hero.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of naughty
Adjective
  • When the modern-day world has nothing to offer us but AI slop, shrinkflation and a sad acceptance that we can't be bothered to do anything about global warming.
    — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This island that was so fantastic has become Work Island and that’s sad.
    — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Recent court cases have used similar arguments, framing social media to judges and jurors as defective products causing children harm.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s successors will need to salvage his defective effort to help guide this transition.
    — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of defective
Adjective
  • Zhang and his colleagues theorize that this reaction might help plants avoid pathogens, similar to the way unpleasant smells help animals steer clear of rotten food.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Sometimes your potatoes will be not be super clean with little sprouts and little rotten bits that need to be cut off.
    — Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotten
Adjective
  • From a computational perspective, Friston argues, attempting to reduce uncertainty—basically, working to avoid unpleasant surprises—is the brain’s primary goal.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Adapted by Duffield and Daniel Kraus from Kraus’ 2023 novel, this spectacularly unpleasant underwater adventure delivers on its premise with effects that are graphic, fascinating, and occasionally beautiful.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant

Phrases Containing bad

Browse Nearby Words

backyards
bad
bad blood
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All