Synonyms of bad
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as in unacceptable 
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as in evil
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as in harmful
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as in naughty
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as in sad
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as in defective
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as in rotten
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as in unpleasant
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as in terrible
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as in poorly
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as in null
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as in malicious
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as in sick
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as in dangerous
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as in bad
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as in poor
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as in ominous
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as in badly
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as in severely
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as in no
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as in wrong
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as in disease
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as in badness
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as in misfortune
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
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Related Articles
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess
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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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1
2
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm
one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors
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3
as in bad
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
such ill behavior will not be tolerated
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5
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation
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1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison
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2
as in no
certainly not
you can ill afford to miss another day of work
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1
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood
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2
as in badness
that which is morally unacceptable
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
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3
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
the travelers merrily set off on their journey, scarcely imagining the ills that would befall them
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bad
Doug Haller, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Judkins is getting the volume in Cleveland and should find success against Miami's weak run defense, which ranks third-worst in EPA allowed per rushing play.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2022
However, employees can’t be completely reckless on social media, making untrue or maliciously disparaging statements, or bad-mouthing their employer with broad-stroke commentary.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2022
Mellissa Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
Good drama is the choice between two bads.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023
Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Raducanu, who has been feeling unwell for the past week, and had to retire ill from her match against Ann Li at the Wuhan Open last Tuesday.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
If companies decline to share information about a data breach, this could leave others ill-prepared, especially those with less advanced security programs, Kennedy added.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Speaking ill of Mike Trout’s flawless game was impossible.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad
Adjective
Coming off their worst performance, the Sun Devils turned in perhaps their best.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Judkins is getting the volume in Cleveland and should find success against Miami's weak run defense, which ranks third-worst in EPA allowed per rushing play.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Adverb
After an online Twitter feud where CZ accused SBF of allegedly bad-mouthing him to regulators, the Binance CEO announced on Sunday the company would be dumping all of its holdings of FTT, a token used by FTX customers.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2022
However, employees can’t be completely reckless on social media, making untrue or maliciously disparaging statements, or bad-mouthing their employer with broad-stroke commentary.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2022
Noun
Despite the obvious bad, there was undeniable good.
—Mellissa Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
Good drama is the choice between two bads.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023
Adjective
However, it was postponed due to Pope Francis' ill health at the time.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Raducanu, who has been feeling unwell for the past week, and had to retire ill from her match against Ann Li at the Wuhan Open last Tuesday.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Starkey fell ill in 1994 with a leukemia diagnosis and passed away that same year, aged 48.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
If companies decline to share information about a data breach, this could leave others ill-prepared, especially those with less advanced security programs, Kennedy added.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
Pandora has opened her box and its ills are fully integrated into our world.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Speaking ill of Mike Trout’s flawless game was impossible.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad
Cite this Entry
“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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