badly
Americanadverb
-
in a defective, incorrect, or undesirable way.
The car runs badly.
-
in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unskilled manner.
a vague, badly written letter; He paints badly.
-
unfavorably.
His neighbors spoke badly of him. The weather turned out badly for the cruise.
-
in a wicked, evil, or morally or legally wrong way.
-
in a disobedient, naughty, or ethically or socially wrong way.
He treats his parents badly.
-
very much; to a great extent or degree.
a house badly in need of repair; to want something badly.
-
severely; direly.
to be injured badly.
-
with great distress, resentment, regret, or emotional display.
She took the news of her mother's death badly.
adjective
idioms
adverb
-
poorly; defectively; inadequately
the chair is badly made
-
unfavourably; unsuccessfully; unfortunately
our scheme worked out badly
-
severely; gravely
he was badly hurt
-
incorrectly or inaccurately
to speak German badly
-
improperly; naughtily; wickedly
to behave badly
-
without humanity; cruelly
to treat someone badly
-
very much (esp in the phrases need badly , badly in need of , want badly )
-
regretfully
he felt badly about it
-
poor; impoverished
adjective
Usage
In the sense “very much,” badly is fully standard: He needs help badly. See also bad 1.
Etymology
Origin of badly
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English baddeli, baddeliche, badli(che) “wickedly, evilly, poorly”; see origin at bad 1, -ly
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.
Oil prices haven’t reacted all that badly so far, sticking to around $80 a barrel.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
People are staying home, she says, because of bleak economics, dating apps, streaming services and the fear of being caught behaving badly on camera phones—all leading to a sharp decline in nightlife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
That sense of belonging and safety has now been badly shaken, and I'm not alone in this.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
It’s difficult to understate just how badly Tuesday went for shares of IBM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Maybe I didn’t realize how badly you wanted to get off island.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
