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 Economists and asset managers warned that sub-Saharan Africa’s economic crunch will likely extend to the end of 2026, dashing hopes that the US-Iran ceasefire would ease short-term conditions in a region badly impacted by the war. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 6 July 2026 Not only is there no food transfer and actual stakes, but nothing is more endearing than watching hot people sing badly to uproarious applause. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 6 July 2026 Tucked away in a grotto filtered by the shade of olive trees and Aleppo pine, the facility looks like a game of Jenga, badly played. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2026 Galante stressed that most shark-human interactions do not end badly. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 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 revelations about the tattoo and the online comments stirred concern among Democrats that Platner had been poorly vetted as a political candidate and demonstrated questionable judgment.
    — Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Overuse, poorly-fitting shoes, and misalignment can all contribute to injury either in your feet or elsewhere in the body.
    — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 7 July 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • Your assumption of my competence, while gracious, would be terribly misguided.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of terribly
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
Definition of bad
Adverb
  • The team turned to the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, a stadium-sized synchrotron facility that produces extremely bright X-ray beams.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
  • Teasing out the impact of a small dose of radiation that occurs in addition to all those other exposures is extremely challenging, and the impact of extremely low exposures has not been decisively demonstrated.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Dior presented its Diorissima collection at Villa Dior, a space dedicated to Dior’s very important customers (VICs).
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 10 July 2026
  • The stewards of the forest About 100 miles northwest of the Tahoe Basin, lower down in the foothills, survivors of the epic 2018 Camp fire that destroyed the town of Paradise have a very different relationship with forest stewards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Each location was incredibly challenging, but each location was challenging in a different way.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 6 July 2026
  • Dan, your schedule is incredibly busy with this, Rick and Morty, Krapopolis and execing on Haunted Hotel.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • Spindle said the Samueli Foundation has launched a third fund, OC Plus, that’s aimed at helping local nonprofits collaborate on projects that might be too big, or too complex, for a single nonprofit.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • But that is labor intensive, and when a fire burns thousands of acres, the time and cost involved can be too high.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of too
Adverb
  • But the dramatic cut in drug production was also due in part to farmers being given alternative crops to the cultivation of opium poppies, De Croo said, noting that funding for such programs had been severely curtailed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
  • However, local journalism's ability to cover these profound changes is severely declining, with a 75% drop in local reporting since the early 2000s.
    — Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes.com, 8 July 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 11 Jul. 2026.

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