1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
I'm afraid you performed quite badly in our last rehearsal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
When the date starts going badly, Cluely pulls up her amateur painting of a tulip from the internet and tells him to compliment her art.
—
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Milan inherits the brand new Santgiulia arena, which hosted Olympic hockey and will be used for concerts, exhibition and sporting events, while the athletes’ Olympic Village will be turned into housing for 1,700 students, badly needed in a city with 10 universities and an affordable housing crisis.
—Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
If one side fragments badly enough, surprises can happen.
—James Ward, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The Clippers badly need the firepower and facilitation that Darius Garland theoretically brings.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Milan inherits the brand new Santgiulia arena, which hosted Olympic hockey and will be used for concerts, exhibition and sporting events, while the athletes’ Olympic Village will be turned into housing for 1,700 students, badly needed in a city with 10 universities and an affordable housing crisis.
—Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
If one side fragments badly enough, surprises can happen.
—James Ward, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The Clippers badly need the firepower and facilitation that Darius Garland theoretically brings.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
-
Many Republican officeholders in the Reaganite mold opposed them, and economists from both parties warned that they were poorly designed to reduce the overall trade deficit.—
David Pozen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
-
While studies have since recognized the phenomenon in humans — in a part of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus — evidence has been mixed and the process poorly understood.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Which would mean a terribly disappointing season.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The old model of network pilot season was terribly inefficient from a business standpoint.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
There were no debates involved, no refs called in, no bad-mouthing.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Today any surface that has a coating, any device that uses stacks of extremely thin films — television screens, cell phone screens and the microchips inside — can be traced back to Katharine, repeatedly dipping a metal plate in a trough of water.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Wlazlo is extremely driven and results-oriented, Tessaro said.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
In fact, very little separates them.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 Feb. 2026
-
So people are very patient with me.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Meanwhile, close to 300,000 households were in the dark at the peak of the storm amid incredibly strong winds on Monday, and it’s expected to take days for many to get power back.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Fentanyl is an incredibly potent synthetic opioid that can be fatal in very small doses.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The Legislature and Newsom acted when the low reading skills of California’s kids, as determined by nationwide testing, became too obvious to ignore.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Marlana McElvaine’s family thinks so, too.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The Mexican Embassy in the United States said in a press release after the operation that Oseguera was one of three cartel members who died after being severely wounded.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Feb. 2026
-
That put significant pressure on her left side, so the teeth were severely damaged, with notable inflammation.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
