bad
1 Americanadjective
-
worse,
comparative
-
worst
superlative
-
not good in any manner or degree.
-
having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible.
There is no such thing as a bad boy.
-
of poor or inferior quality; defective; deficient.
a bad diamond;
a bad spark plug.
-
inadequate or below standard; not satisfactory for use.
bad heating;
Living conditions in some areas are very bad.
-
inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty.
a bad guess.
-
invalid, unsound, or false.
a bad insurance claim;
bad judgment.
-
causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful.
Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
-
suffering from sickness, ill health, pain, or injury; sick; ill.
He felt bad from eating the green apples.
-
not healthy or in good physical condition; diseased, decayed, or physically weakened.
A bad heart kept him out of the army.
-
tainted, spoiled, or rotten, especially to the point of being inedible.
The meat is bad because you left it out of the refrigerator too long.
-
having a disastrous or detrimental effect, result, or tendency; unfavorable.
The drought is bad for the farmers.
His sloppy appearance made a bad impression.
-
causing or characterized by discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, or annoyance; disagreeable; unpleasant.
I had a bad flight to Chicago.
-
easily provoked to anger; irascible.
a bad temper.
-
cross, irritable, or surly.
If I don't have my morning coffee, I'm in a bad mood all day.
-
more uncomfortable, persistent, painful, or dangerous than usual; severe.
a bad attack of asthma.
-
causing or resulting in disaster or severe damage or destruction.
a bad flood.
-
regretful, contrite, dejected, or upset.
He felt bad about having to leave the children all alone.
-
disobedient, naughty, or misbehaving.
If you're bad at school, you'll go to bed without supper.
-
disreputable or dishonorable.
He's getting a bad name from changing jobs so often.
-
displaying a lack of skill, talent, proficiency, or judgment.
a bad painting;
Bad drivers cause most of the accidents.
-
causing distress; unfortunate or unfavorable.
I'm afraid I have bad news for you.
-
not suitable or appropriate; disadvantageous or dangerous.
It was a bad day for fishing.
-
inclement; considered too stormy, hot, cold, etc..
We had a bad winter with a lot of snow.
-
disagreeable or offensive to the senses.
a bad odor.
-
exhibiting a lack of artistic sensitivity.
The room was decorated in bad taste.
-
not in keeping with a standard of behavior or conduct; coarse.
bad manners.
-
(of a word, speech, or writing)
-
vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous.
bad language.
-
not properly observing rules or customs of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.; incorrect.
He speaks bad English.
-
-
unattractive, especially because of a lack of pleasing proportions.
She has a bad figure.
-
(of the complexion) marred by defects; pockmarked or pimply; blemished.
bad skin.
-
not profitable or worth the price paid.
The land was a bad buy.
-
Commerce. deemed uncollectible or irrecoverable and treated as a loss.
a bad debt.
-
ill-spent; wasted.
Don't throw good money after bad money.
-
counterfeit; not genuine.
There was a bad ten-dollar bill in with the change.
-
having the character of a villain; villainous.
In the movies the good guys always beat the bad guys.
-
Sports. failing to land within the in-bounds limits of a court or section of a court; missing the mark; not well aimed.
-
Slang. outstandingly excellent; first-rate.
He's a bad man on drums, and the fans love him.
noun
-
that which is bad.
You have to take the bad with the good.
-
a bad condition, character, or quality.
His health seemed to go from bad to worse.
-
(used with a plural verb) Usually the bad evil persons collectively.
The bad are always stirring up trouble.
adverb
idioms
-
in a bad way, in severe trouble or distress.
-
bad off, in poor or distressed condition or circumstances; destitute: Also badly off.
His family has been pretty bad off since he lost his job.
-
go to the bad, to deteriorate physically or morally; go to ruin.
She wept at seeing her son go to the bad.
-
too bad, unfortunate or disappointing.
It's too bad that he didn't go to college.
-
to the bad, in arrears.
He's $100 to the bad on his debt.
-
my bad, my fault! my mistake!
-
in bad,
-
in trouble or distress.
-
in disfavor.
He's in bad with his father-in-law.
-
-
not bad, Also not so bad, not too bad.
-
tolerably good; not without merit.
The dinner wasn't bad, but I've had better.
-
not difficult.
Once you know geometry, trigonometry isn't bad.
-
verb
adjective
-
not good; of poor quality; inadequate; inferior
bad workmanship
bad soil
bad light for reading
-
(often foll by at) lacking skill or talent; incompetent
a bad painter
bad at sports
-
(often foll by for) harmful
bad air
smoking is bad for you
-
immoral; evil
a bad life
-
naughty; mischievous; disobedient
a bad child
-
rotten; decayed; spoiled
a bad egg
-
severe; intense
a bad headache
-
incorrect; wrong; faulty
bad pronunciation
-
ill or in pain (esp in the phrase feel bad )
-
regretful, sorry, or upset (esp in the phrase feel bad about )
-
unfavourable; distressing
bad news
a bad business
-
offensive; unpleasant; disagreeable
bad language
bad temper
-
not valid or sound; void
a bad cheque
-
not recoverable
a bad debt
-
slang good; excellent
-
to deteriorate even more
-
to putrefy; spoil
-
informal
-
seriously ill, through sickness or injury
-
in trouble of any kind
-
-
See book
-
to manage as well as possible in unfavourable circumstances
-
informal passable; fair; fairly good
-
informal very good
-
informal (often used dismissively) regrettable
noun
-
unfortunate or unpleasant events collectively (often in the phrase take the bad with the good )
-
an immoral or degenerate state (often in the phrase go to the bad )
-
the debit side of an account
£200 to the bad
-
informal my fault or mistake
adverb
verb
Usage
The adjective bad meaning “unpleasant, unattractive, unfavorable, spoiled, etc.,” is the usual form to follow such copulative verbs as sound, smell, look, and taste: After the rainstorm the water tasted bad. The coach says the locker room smells bad. After the copulative verb feel, the adjective badly in reference to physical or emotional states is also used and is standard, although bad is more common in formal writing: I feel bad from overeating. She felt badly about her friend's misfortune. When the adverbial use is required, badly is standard with all verbs: She reacted badly to the criticism. Bad as an adverb appears mainly in informal contexts: I didn't do too bad on the tests. He wants money so bad it hurts. See also badly, good.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bad
First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English badde, bad; origin uncertain; perhaps akin to Old English bæddel “hermaphrodite,” bædling “womanish man”
Explanation
When something is not good, it's bad. A bad dog goes to the bathroom in the house, and bad milk has gone sour. Bad has slightly different meanings depending on what it's describing, but the overall idea is the same: not good. If you get a bad connection on the telephone, there's something wrong with the line or phone. If someone gives you a bad check, there's no money to back up the check. If you do a bad job on a test, you got a C if you're lucky. In movies, a villain is a bad guy. Also, when someone does something wrong, they might say "My bad!"
Vocabulary lists containing bad
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He also said the secondary measure would not take effect immediately, arguing that the administration is trying to give “everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Remind me who Cohen is and how he ended up on Trump’s bad side.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
After walking away from what he called a "bad deal," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs effective September 8.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
But even in bad environments when I was young, people were cool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Please! I’ve had bad news—oh please, don’t go away!”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
In January 2025 the conflict got worse when the M23 seized parts of eastern DR Congo, including Goma and two airports.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Asked whether he expected the situation to improve, Blume said "on the contrary, we have to assume that risks will get worse, worldwide".
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
That night, attendees whispered that this was only the beginning, and it was likely that the country’s finances would get much worse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He suggested that shoppers have gotten wiser, but not necessarily worse off.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
I hated the dismal place full of sick and suffering women, but we had to go back, again and again, for Betsie’s condition was growing worse.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Remembering that lesson will surely help bereaved families through a process that many find bewildering at best; incomprehensible at worst.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
We are getting it good and hard now; the question is whether we can wise up fast enough to avoid the worst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Samsung Electronics stock had its worst day in three weeks on Monday as investors reacted to its shareholder-return plan, souring the mood for other memory-chip making rivals.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
If a claim is substantiated, the plagiarist is seen as sloppy or lazy at best, and fundamentally dishonest at worst.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Aunt Maud was the worst baker in the United States.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
