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
Last Wednesday, Smith left practice holding his leg after being beaten badly by Waddle on a long pass from Tagovailoa.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Or have the guardrails corroded so badly that anyone now faces the prospect of the President’s pen becoming a sword?
—Miles Taylor, Time, 3 June 2025
One elderly woman’s clothing badly caught on fire, Kornfeld said, and the group rolled her body to try to put out the flames.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 3 June 2025
Duran debuted in 2021 at age 24, and struggled badly until 2023 — and that year his season was cut short by an injury to a tendon in his toe that required surgery.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Or have the guardrails corroded so badly that anyone now faces the prospect of the President’s pen becoming a sword?
—Miles Taylor, Time, 3 June 2025
One elderly woman’s clothing badly caught on fire, Kornfeld said, and the group rolled her body to try to put out the flames.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 3 June 2025
Duran debuted in 2021 at age 24, and struggled badly until 2023 — and that year his season was cut short by an injury to a tendon in his toe that required surgery.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
-
In the United States, conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are manageable, yet remain poorly controlled in more than a third of patients.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
-
The plain version of the chips got a high score, while the other, with a tequila lime flavoring, scored poorly.—
Maria Godoy,
NPR,
26 May 2025
Adverb
-
So, this is a terrible – terribly misguided policy.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2025
-
The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief.—
Jeff Kaufman,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adverb
-
Remember, too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly!—
Amber Smith,
Discover Magazine,
3 Apr. 2024
-
That started off bad and got better.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2023
Adverb
-
Continuing with her streak of daring silhouettes, the performer took the stage in a black textured jumpsuit with a completely open back that sat extremely low on her hips.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
27 May 2025
-
With extremely long battery life, this is a productivity portable that will get you through an entire day on the go, and the keyboard is a pleasure to use.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
27 May 2025
Adverb
-
Every department, every person in the show, every actor is just bringing it to the very last take to the very last minute.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
-
The very warm sea surface temperatures in the region where Hurricane Milton was developing were at or above record-breaking highs, helping to foster this rapid intensification.—
Maureen Mccann,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 May 2025
Adverb
-
Huang held on, and did so through incredibly difficult stretches that included him fighting to keep his job.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
Sufficient shelter is now incredibly scarce in Gaza.—
Sarah-Grace Mankarious,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
Adverb
-
But there are many times when Ait-Nouri resorts to his tricks too readily, with his over-elaboration putting his team in trouble.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
-
But as Blumhouse has scaled up and the demand for horror has increased, Blumhouse can’t make movies as modestly, and the industry too runs into challenges to continue to make horror movies work financially.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 June 2025
Adverb
-
Hamm not only spoke highly of Hendricks, but also pointed to the performance delivered by Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson across the show's seven seasons.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
-
Orcas are highly social ocean predators that live and travel in groups, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share