1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
stealing is just plain bad
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3
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
sitting too close to the television is said to be bad for the eyes
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4
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
the children were bad, so they didn't get dessert
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5
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
hearing about the world's miseries always makes him feel bad
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6
as in defective
having a fault
a bad video connection that is causing some picture loss
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7
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
I think the milk has turned bad
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8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the air in the damp basement had a very bad smell
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9
as in terrible
of low quality
bad shoes that fell apart within a week
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10
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
I've been feeling bad all week with this cold
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11
as in null
having no legal or binding force
all known claims on the property were dismissed by the court as bad
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12
as in malicious
slang
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude
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as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way
you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test
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as in wrong
that which is morally unacceptable
there's bad and good in people of every race and nationality
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bad
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Only three Yankees – including two entries from Joey Gallo – have ever finished a season with at least 185 plate appearances and an average that low or worse.
—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 June 2026
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Pull leftovers that still need to be eaten to the front, along with any foods that are going to go bad soon.
—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Nov. 2025
Austin Mock,
The Athletic,
19 Aug. 2024
Despite the obvious bad, there was undeniable good.
—
Mellissa Martinez,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for bad
Adjective
From an institutional perspective, the American theater is in bad shape.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Only three Yankees – including two entries from Joey Gallo – have ever finished a season with at least 185 plate appearances and an average that low or worse.
—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 June 2026
Adverb
The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Pull leftovers that still need to be eaten to the front, along with any foods that are going to go bad soon.
—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Nov. 2025
Noun
Reports out of fall camp haven’t been super favorable to their offense, and while the defense will, again, be top-notch, a team with this bad of an offense cannot be trusted.
—
Austin Mock,
The Athletic,
19 Aug. 2024
Despite the obvious bad, there was undeniable good.
—
Mellissa Martinez,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for bad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad
Adjective
-
If scar tissue is too severe, if prior surgeries have left the blood supply compromised, or if a patient's goals aren't achievable without unacceptable risk, proceeding could cause irreversible damage.
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Yes, Stokes’ late night out, in the context of what went on before, was unacceptable.
Adjective
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There is so much evil and suffering in the world, so much conniving and malicious intent, and the self is, at least, a familiar foe.
-
When the monsters reveal an evil agenda that goes beyond becoming movie stars, the Minions are forced to battle them to save the world.
Adjective
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The plasma process also produced very little smoke or tar, reducing harmful secondary pollutants typically associated with biomass conversion and making the technology a cleaner way to produce renewable solid fuel.
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At the same time, its flowers attract beneficial predatory insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps, that naturally hunt harmful garden pests.
Adjective
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Has Greta eaten or chewed on anything naughty?
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The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.
Adjective
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Then Greene takes a long, sad subway ride home, and America learns that one of their favorite TV doctors isn't flawless.
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Local foodies were sad to hear owner Sylvia Chung (Momma Chung) retired and closed the south Fort Worth restaurant in October of last year.
Adjective
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The rash was much milder in mice bred with defective itch-sensing nerve cells.
-
The plaintiffs have also accused Bayer of negligence and misrepresentation of Roundup's safety in its marketing, and have alleged that the product was defective for its intended purpose.
Adjective
-
To be fair, the DCEU, the preceding web of films, had nearly half of its movies land rotten scores.
-
Big Red might be a braggart, a bully and rotten to the core, but Lasdun invokes Thomas De Quincey’s neat point about how a man’s capacity to rob says nothing about his propensity to murder.
Adjective
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Alas, Ligeti proved to be an extraordinarily difficult collaborator, his manic perfectionism colliding with practical reality and leading to unpleasant scenes.
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The consequences are unpleasant, but can also turn dangerous very quickly as body temperature rises.
Cite this Entry
“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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