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 beating damaged more than 73,000 homes in North Carolina, including 8,800 confirmed to be either badly harmed or destroyed, according to the Observer’s previous reporting.
—
Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026
But people have been badly hurt.
—NBC news, 7 June 2026
Why did the Jets treat Ville Heinola so badly?
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Why did biotech stocks perform so badly this week?
—Allison Deangelis, STAT, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026
But people have been badly hurt.
—NBC news, 7 June 2026
Why did the Jets treat Ville Heinola so badly?
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Why did biotech stocks perform so badly this week?
—Allison Deangelis, STAT, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
-
Unfortunately and with frankly astonishing frequency, Mercedes chose poorly for this little sedan, over and over again.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
-
It was both poorly handled and never a strong case.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
To be candid, our process was not terribly dramatic—there were no big fights, no couples counseling—other than the drama of racing to complete the project (or, at least, most of it) before the kids were born.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
While there are plenty of moments of necessary humor in the story, with Marquis flexing her knack for comic timing, other moments are terribly uncomfortable to grasp.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
In one of them, a spot attacking Harman, Checchi included a photo of the lieutenant governor — and not a bad-looking one at that.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In one of them, a spot attacking Harman, Checchi included a photo of the lieutenant governor — and not a bad-looking one at that.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
According to Outword Magazine Fred Palmer, the owner of Scott’s, Alan Irvine, is extremely gay supportive and has hosted numerous events for both Outword and the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce (see below).—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
The whole episode is a reminder to product designers everywhere that users can be extremely sensitive to the seemingly smallest changes — and Spotify clearly had not anticipated that a teeny-tiny disco ball drop would prove to be unpopular.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
When Gary Vernon began riding mountain bikes in Arkansas almost 40 years ago, there was very little infrastructure intended for riders without deep experience—or a devil-may-care attitude.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
But that, believe it or not, isn't very big for here.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Adverb
-
Biological systems are incredibly good at making reactions run at low temperature and pressure through the use of catalysts.—
Chris Lee,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
Likewise, the information helps Mancuso tailor wigs on what is sometimes very short notice, and the two departments collaborate incredibly closely to, say, transform Bad Bunny into a chatbot companion (of sorts).—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
9 June 2026
Adverb
-
He’s been working hard with the pitching guys too.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
-
On public safety, Raman said city leaders have focused too heavily on increasing police staffing without doing enough to reduce demands on officers through alternative response programs.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
The car was severely damaged by the crash, video showed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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