badly

adverb

ˈbad-lē How to pronounce badly (audio)
Definition of badlynext
1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way I'm afraid you performed quite badly in our last rehearsal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terribly
to a great degree blood donors are badly needed this time of year

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 badly These are worthy goals, but Trump’s policies have badly missed their mark. — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 Their involvement doesn’t spare them unflattering moments; plenty of characters are shown behaving strangely, badly, or both. — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026 An interceptor that loses its link above 100 mph—or, by some accounts, above 43 mph—is badly outmatched. — Steven John, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026 Public buildings, including a 19th-century town hall in Limoges, were badly burned, and nearly 2,400 people were arrested. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
  1. poorly
  2. terribly
  3. bad
  4. extremely
  5. very
  6. incredibly
  7. too
  8. severely
Adverb
  • Trump administration officials and allies are starting to debate who will shoulder the blame if Republicans perform poorly in November.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Head coach Michael Carrick could also lose his job if the team continues to perform poorly.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • That’s not terribly surprising given the two teams have clashed multiple times over the past 25 years of Xbox.
    — Tom Warren, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Conservation can go terribly wrong if local communities aren’t consulted during planning.
    — David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Another would be to coat your thumbs with a bad-tasting substance.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 30 July 2026
  • Of course, Hole himself isn’t averse to breaking bad, either.
    — Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of bad
Adverb
  • Some wondered whether Schrödinger’s equation might be an approximation that works extremely well at the microscopic scale but breaks down at the macroscopic scale, which would mean the measurement postulate of the Copenhagen interpretation is right.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In the meantime, no one should refrain from using sunscreen, which is extremely well-proven to cause cancer.
    — Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • And Winnie-the-Pooh continues to sit, in a thoughtful sort of way, which is what very old bears in very nice glass cases mostly do.
    — STEVE HENDRIX THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Dolphins’ attendance has dropped significantly so far this season, albeit in a very limited sample size.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • While these issues can be addressed, the costs can be incredibly high, and under Florida law, developers are only on the hook for anything identified within the first seven years after a building is handed over to the homeowners association.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The pre-selection debates about three- or four-loss SEC squads and some team no one actually watches will prove incredibly tiresome, too.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • But the clean provenance and their New York highlife has never appeased Pooh partisans who think Fifth Avenue is much too far from the Hundred Acre Wood.
    — STEVE HENDRIX THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The implication was that his predecessor Scott Stuber had overpaid for talent and too-ambitiously committed to a new Netflix movie release every week in 2022.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • Many of the children's bodies were severely decomposed, with only 26 able to be identified, and investigations into the other deaths are ongoing.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At least one case of congenital measles led to a death; the first death reported in the current outbreak was in a newborn baby boy, who died immediately after birth while his mother was severely ill with measles.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of severely

Browse Nearby Words

badlands
badly
bad-mouth
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Cite this Entry

“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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