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 He was sent to fight in World War II, where he was badly injured. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 Barely a week goes by without another story about rogue agents or models behaving badly. — Don Schuerman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The gray 2006 Honda Accord was badly damaged but landed upright on a rocky beach, according to photos from the scene. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 But a crucial pipeline that supplies water to tourists near the South Rim is badly damaged, Drapeaux said. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 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 children did not attend school, were fed poorly and did not receive medical attention even if injured or sick, according to the report.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The treadmill feeling does not necessarily mean a company is using AI poorly.
    — Mark Lewis, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • You’re born in a place where women are treated terribly, or journalists are imprisoned, and those people need some luck.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But things went terribly wrong while giving birth to her daughter.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 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
  • Christner studies microorganisms that are able to survive in extremely low temperatures.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Deposition systems add extremely thin layers of material onto a silicon wafer.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • The artists at The Library Show paid The Garage’s proposed no Milwaukee rap very little mind.
    — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Films can change the world, or at the very least, the people who walk it.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • But incredibly, that failure actually paved the way for his return to the competition last season, with Benfica hiring him just weeks later.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This part — two brothers who respect each others’ artistic gifts (most of the time) but cannot stand each other personally — is not universal but incredibly specific.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • Aside from happy love affairs that usually turn into friendships, there might seem from the outside to be too little family in my life.
    — Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The slouchy, mockneck sweater is back again, this time with plenty of cropped and cardigan options, too.
    — Jordan Julian, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • Ford Motor is increasing production of its crucial F-Series trucks after fires at an aluminum supplier severely impacted output over the past year.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The water supply system for the park was also severely damaged, along with part of a new $208 million water pipeline project that was underway near the ranch.
    — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 2 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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