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 Neither of the two blasts Shearer experienced in Iraq produced obvious injuries, and medics prioritized Marines who were more badly hurt. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Years of vacancy, vandalism and fires had badly deteriorated the structure. — Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Two of the continent’s most critical waterways, the Danube and the Rhine, have been particularly badly affected. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 The victim was so badly decomposed, the medical examiner couldn’t even estimate her age or ethnicity. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 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
  • The result is a new technology expense that's both fast-growing and poorly understood.
    — Ameya Kanitkar, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • Supporters of the bill say that type of restriction is terribly outdated.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Having a conversation with Gold House founder Bing Chen isn’t terribly dissimilar from taking an amphetamine.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 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
  • In extremely rare cases, hormone injections can trigger a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Neighbors are also extremely relieved to see the tree finally coming down.
    — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Anna’s sheer lace dress with a huge keyhole in the front and an open back is fine but also like a million other dresses; the same goes for Jude’s nicely constructed, but very familiar, black velvet dress with a corset.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Quarterback Tommy DeVito looked to him on a go route on the very next play, but Williams didn’t cut back inside for the ball, which appeared to frustrate Vrabel on the sideline.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • If Rolex can engineer an incredibly deep and wide moat, AI most certainly can.
    — Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Warriors stole the first game of the series in Dallas and then held serve in their own euphoric and incredibly loud building in Oakland.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • The state senator from Greenwich says Lamont has been too loose with state budget policies and should have generated even more savings to ease Connecticut’s debt burdens.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That’s not too dissimilar from the path Mattingly took to the field Thursday.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • The Houthis have vowed to close the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway through which Saudi Arabia exports up to 7 million barrels of oil a day, now that access to the Strait of Hormuz is severely restricted.
    — Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Lower-income households feel these pressures more severely, since gas represents a larger proportional share of the budget.
    — Catherine Brock, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of badly for Spanish Speakers

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