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
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Recent Examples of badly
The building’s limestone and stucco exterior is badly cracked, and four of the Corinthian pillars in the colonnade are close to fracturing.
—
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
The Rams are overhauling their entire special teams operation after a season full of struggles that badly hampered an otherwise strong season, which ended in the NFC championship game.
—CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Her parents badly wanted their first child, Denise, to have a little sister or brother.
—John Archibald, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2026
The Colts still need pass rush help badly, and nobody really knows how Jones will return from his Achilles injury.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
The Rams are overhauling their entire special teams operation after a season full of struggles that badly hampered an otherwise strong season, which ended in the NFC championship game.
—CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Her parents badly wanted their first child, Denise, to have a little sister or brother.
—John Archibald, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2026
The Colts still need pass rush help badly, and nobody really knows how Jones will return from his Achilles injury.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
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Students that are assigned a teacher that inflates grades are more likely to score poorly on future tests.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
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For Europe, the LNG crisis is poorly timed.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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In Geekbench, the A18 Pro’s single-core speeds weren't terribly far behind the A16’s multi-core<\/em> speeds.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
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Also, stars in this frenzied state aren’t terribly stable; the fusion rate can be tempestuous, and the star undergoes incredibly violent paroxysms.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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There were no debates involved, no refs called in, no bad-mouthing.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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Yet, actual bones have been extremely rare.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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After all, a sandy dance floor calls for a very different footwear strategy than a reception set atop a stone terrace—if shoes are required at all.—
Sarah Zendejas,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2026
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The start of the day seemed very normal to me.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The conditioner is incredibly moisturizing and the shampoo lathers up nicely.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
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That pricing makes scaling incredibly simple.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Don’t worry too much about things being perfect, either.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Mar. 2026
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While humans can guide robots remotely, the process is mentally exhausting and often too slow to prevent sudden failures.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Syria’s healthcare infrastructure has been severely damaged during its long-running civil war, while Lebanon’s hospitals have struggled with economic collapse and refugee pressures.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Mar. 2026
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In recent decades, as mental illness has become less stigmatized and as the gap in available coverage has become more acute, states and counties have used tax money to rebuild some of what is needed to care for the most severely mentally ill.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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