bad 1 (b d)adj. worse (wûrs), worst (wûrst) 1. Not achieving an adequate standard; poor: a bad concert. 2. Evil; sinful. 3. Vulgar or obscene: bad language. 4. Informal Disobedient or naughty: bad children. 5. Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing: a bad piece of news. 6. Unfavorable: bad reviews for the play. 7. Not fresh; rotten or spoiled: bad meat. 8. Injurious in effect; detrimental: bad habits. 9. Not working properly; defective: a bad telephone connection. 10. Full of or exhibiting faults or errors: bad grammar. 11. Having no validity; void: passed bad checks. 12. Being so far behind in repayment as to be considered a loss: bad loans. 13. Severe; intense: a bad cold. 14. a. Being in poor health or in pain: I feel bad today. b. Being in poor condition; diseased: bad lungs. 15. Sorry; regretful: She feels bad about how she treated you. 16. bad·der, bad·dest Slang Very good; great. n. Something that is below standard or expectations, as of ethics or decency: weighing the good against the bad. adv. Usage Problem Idioms: Badly. in bad Informal In trouble or disfavor. my bad Slang Used to acknowledge that one is at fault. not half/so bad Informal Reasonably good. [Middle English badde.] bad  ness n.Usage Note: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad. This usage is common in informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing. In an earlier survey, the sentence His tooth ached so bad he could not sleep was unacceptable to 92 percent of the Usage Panel. · The use of badly with want was once considered incorrect but is now entirely acceptable: We wanted badly to go to the beach. · The adverb badly is often used after verbs such as feel, as in I felt badly about the whole affair. This usage bears analogy to the use of other adverbs with feel, such as strongly in We feel strongly about this issue. Some people prefer to maintain a distinction between feel badly and feel bad, restricting the former to emotional distress and using the latter to cover physical ailments; however, this distinction is not universally observed, so feel badly should be used in a context that makes its meaning clear. · Badly is used in some regions to mean "unwell," as in He was looking badly after the accident. Poorly is also used in this way. In an earlier survey, however, the usage was found unacceptable in formal writing by 75 percent of the Usage Panel. Our Living Language Most people might think that the slang usage of bad to mean its opposite, "excellent," is a recent innovation of Black English. While it is of Black English origin, this usage has been recorded for over a century; the first known example dates from 1897. Even earlier, beginning in the 1850s, the word appears in the sense "formidable, very tough," as applied to persons. Whether or not the two usages are related, they both illustrate a favorite creative device of informal and slang language  using a word to mean the opposite of what it "really" means. This is by no means uncommon; people use words sarcastically to mean the opposite of their actual meanings on a daily basis. What is more unusual is for such a usage to be generally accepted within a larger community. Perhaps when the concepts are as basic as "good" and "bad" this general acceptance is made easier. A similar instance is the word uptight, which in the 1960s enjoyed usage in the sense "excellent" alongside its now-current, negative meaning of "stiff." |
| bad 2 (bd) v. Archaic A past tense of bid. |
bad
Adjective
[worse, worst]
1. not good; of poor quality
2. lacking skill or talent: I'm so bad at that sort of thing
3. harmful: smoking is bad for you
4. evil or immoral
5. naughty or mischievous
6. rotten or decayed: a bad egg
7. severe: a bad headache
8. incorrect or faulty: bad grammar
9. sorry or upset: I feel bad about saying no
10. unfavourable or distressing: bad news
11. offensive or unpleasant: bad language
12. not valid: a bad cheque
13. not recoverable: a bad debt
14. [badder, baddest] Slang good; excellent
15. not bad or not so bad Informal fairly good
16. too bad Informal (often used dismissively) regrettable
Noun
unfortunate or unpleasant events: you've got to take the good with the bad
Adverb
Not standard badly: to want something bad [Middle English]
badness n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | bad - that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency; "take the bad with the good" quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare unworthiness - the quality or state of lacking merit or value undesirability - the quality possessed by something that should be avoided worse - something inferior in quality or condition or effect; "for better or for worse"; "accused of cheating and lying and worse" evil - that which causes harm or destruction or misfortune; "the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones"- Shakespeare unsoundness - not mentally or physically healthy; "no one can be a poet without a certain unsoundness of mind" liability - the quality of being something that holds you back inadvisability - the quality of being ill-advised |
| Adj. | 1. |  bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"worst - (superlative of `bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition; "the worst player on the team"; "the worst weather of the year" worse - (comparative of `bad') inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability; "this road is worse than the first one we took"; "the road is in worse shape than it was"; "she was accused of worse things than cheating and lying" unfavorable, unfavourable - not encouraging or approving or pleasing; "unfavorable conditions"; "an unfavorable comparison"; "unfavorable comments", "unfavorable impression" evil - morally bad or wrong; "evil purposes"; "an evil influence"; "evil deeds" disobedient - not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority; "disobedient children" good - having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified; "good news from the hospital"; "a good report card"; "when she was good she was very very good"; "a good knife is one good for cutting"; "this stump will make a good picnic table"; "a good check"; "a good joke"; "a good exterior paint"; "a good secretary"; "a good dress for the office" |
| 2. | bad - very intense; "a bad headache"; "in a big rage"; "had a big (or bad) shock"; "a bad earthquake"; "a bad storm" intense - possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree; "intense heat"; "intense anxiety"; "intense desire"; "intense emotion"; "the skunk's intense acrid odor"; "intense pain"; "enemy fire was intense" | |
| 3. |  bad - feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless night"colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech uncomfortable - providing or experiencing physical discomfort; "an uncomfortable chair"; "an uncomfortable day in the hot sun" | |
| 4. |  bad - (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition; "bad meat"; "a refrigerator full of spoilt food"stale - lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age; "stale bread"; "the beer was stale" | |
| 5. | bad - feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone; "felt regretful over his vanished youth"; "regretful over mistakes she had made"; "he felt bad about breaking the vase" | |
| 6. | bad - not capable of being collected; "a bad (or uncollectible) debt" invalid - having no cogency or legal force; "invalid reasoning"; "an invalid driver's license" | |
| 7. |  bad - below average in quality or performance; "a bad chess player"; "a bad recital"inferior - of low or inferior quality | |
| 8. | bad - nonstandard; "so-called bad grammar" linguistics - the scientific study of language colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech nonstandard - not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community; "a nonstandard dialect is one used by uneducated speakers or socially disfavored groups"; "the common core of nonstandard words and phrases in folk speech"- A.R.Dunlap | |
| 9. | bad - not financially safe or secure; "a bad investment"; "high risk investments"; "anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky"; "speculative business enterprises" unsound - not sound financially; "unsound banking practices" | |
| 10. |  bad - physically unsound or diseased; "has a bad back"; "a bad heart"; "bad teeth"; "an unsound limb"; "unsound teeth"unhealthy - not in or exhibiting good health in body or mind; "unhealthy ulcers" | |
| 11. | bad - capable of harming; "bad air"; "smoking is bad for you" harmful - causing or capable of causing harm; "too much sun is harmful to the skin"; "harmful effects of smoking" | |
| 12. | bad - characterized by wickedness or immorality; "led a very bad life" evil - morally bad or wrong; "evil purposes"; "an evil influence"; "evil deeds" | |
| 13. | bad - reproduced fraudulently; "like a bad penny..."; "a forged twenty dollar bill" counterfeit, imitative - not genuine; imitating something superior; "counterfeit emotion"; "counterfeit money"; "counterfeit works of art"; "a counterfeit prince" | |
| 14. | bad - not working properly; "a bad telephone connection"; "a defective appliance" malfunctioning, nonfunctional - not performing or able to perform its regular function; "a malfunctioning valve" | |
| Adv. | 1. | bad - with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly'); "the injury hurt badly"; "the buildings were badly shaken"; "it hurts bad"; "we need water bad" |
| 2. | bad - very much; strongly; "I wanted it badly enough to work hard for it"; "the cables had sagged badly"; "they were badly in need of help"; "he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it" |
bad
adjective 1. harmful, damaging, dangerous, disastrous, destructive, unhealthy, detrimental, hurtful, ruinous, deleterious, injurious, disadvantageous << OPPOSITE beneficial
adjective 2. severe, serious, terrible, acute, extreme, intense, painful, distressing, fierce, harsh
adjective 3. unfavourable, troubling, distressing, unfortunate, grim, discouraging, unpleasant, gloomy, adverse
adjective 4. inferior, poor, inadequate, pathetic, faulty, duff Brit. (informal) unsatisfactory, mediocre, defective, second-class, deficient, imperfect, second-rate, shoddy, low-grade, erroneous, substandard, low-rent (informal), chiefly U.S. two-bit U.S., Canad. (slang) crappy (slang) end-of-the-pier Brit. (informal) poxy (slang) dime-a-dozen (informal) bush-league Austral., N.Z. (informal) tinhorn U.S. (slang) half-pie N.Z. (informal) bodger or bodgie Austral. (slang) strictly for the birds (informal) << OPPOSITE satisfactory
adjective 7. wicked, criminal, evil, corrupt, worthless, base, vile, immoral, delinquent, sinful, depraved, debased, amoral, egregious, villainous, unprincipled, iniquitous, nefarious, dissolute, maleficent << OPPOSITE virtuous
adjective 8. naughty, defiant, perverse, wayward, mischievous, wicked, unruly, impish, undisciplined, roguish, disobedient << OPPOSITE well-behaved
adjective 9. guilty, sorry, ashamed, apologetic, rueful, sheepish, contrite, remorseful, regretful, shamefaced, conscience-stricken
Translations
bad [bæd] adj → malo (= serious); grave; [meat, food] → podrido, pasado;
to go bad → pasarse;
to have a bad time of it → pasarlo mal;
bad debt (COMM) → cuenta incobrable;
in bad faith → de mala fe
bad [bæd] adj → mauvais(e); [child] → vilain(e); [mistake, accident] → grave; [meat, food] → gâté(e) → avarié(e);
I feel bad about it (= guilty) → j'ai un peu mauvaise conscience;
bad debt → créance douteuse;
bad [bæd] adj → cattivo/a; [child] → cattivello/a; [meat, food] → andato/a a male;
to go bad (meat, food) → andare a male;
to have a bad time of it → passarsela male;
I feel bad about it (= guilty) → mi sento un po' in colpa;
bad debt → credito difficile da recuperare;
bad faith → malafede f
adj bad [bӕd]
1 not good; not efficient He is a bad driver; His eyesight is bad; They are bad at tennis (= they play tennis badly). swak سَيِّء лош špatný dårlig schlecht ανίκανος, αναποτελεσματικός, κακής ποιότητας malo vilets بد huono mauvais רַע खराब slab rossz buruk vondur, slæmur, lélegur cattivo 不十分な 서투른 blogas slikts tidak cekap slecht dårlig niedobry mau prost, slab плохой zlý slab loš dålig ไม่ดี kötü, fena 壞的 поганий بُرا xấu; dở; tồi 坏的
2 wicked; immoral a bad man; He has done some bad things. sleg رَديء ، غَيْر أخلاقي зъл zlý dårlig; slem; ond böse κακός, ανήθικος malo halb بد؛ نکوهیده paha méchant רַשָע, אַכזָר बुरा zao gonosz jahat vondur cattivo 不正な 불량한, 부도덕한 blogas, nedoras ļauns; izvirtis jahat slecht vond zły, nikczemny mau rău, ticălos безнравственный zlý, skazený slab, grd zao ond, usel เลว kötü, fena 不道德的 негарний; аморальний بد کار، بِگڑا، ناقص ác; xấu 不道德的
3 unpleasant bad news. sleg غَيْر سارّ неприятен špatný, zlý dårlig schlecht δυσάρεστος malo ebameeldiv بد؛ ناخوشایند ikävä mauvais לֹא נָעִים बुरा loš, neugodan rossz, kellemetlen tidak menyenangkan slæmur cattivo いやな 불운한 blogas, nemalonus slikts; nepatīkams tidak baik slecht dårlig zły, nieprzyjemny mau neplăcut неприятный zlý slab neprijatan dålig, tråkig ไม่ดี kötü, fena, üzücü 使人不愉快的 кепський ناخوشگوار khó chịu 使人不愉快的
4 rotten This meat is bad. vrot, oud فاسِدُ، مُذرٍ развален zkažený dårlig; fordærvet schlecht χαλασμένος malo, podrido, pasado riknenud فاسد؛ خراب pilaantunut pourri מְקוּלקַל खराब pokvaren romlott busuk skemmdur, úldinn andato a male 腐った 상한 blogas, sugedęs bojāts busuk bedorven bedervet, råtten, skjemt zepsuty estragado stricat, alterat испорченный pokazený pokvarjen pokvaren dålig, skämd เน่าเปื่อย kokmuş, bozulmuş, çürük 腐爛的 зіпсований خراب thiu; hỏng 腐烂的
5 causing harm or injury Smoking is bad for your health. sleg, swak مُؤْذٍ، ضارُّ вреден škodlivý skadelig schlecht βλαβερός malo, perjudicial, nocivo, pernicioso kahjulik مضر haitallinen mauvais פוֹגֵע škodljiv rosszat tesz berakibat buruk skaðlegur dannoso 有害な 유해한 kenksmingas kaitīgs tidak baik slecht skadelig szkodliwy mau nociv, dăunător вредный škodlivý škodljiv štetan skadlig, farlig เป็นอันตราย zararlı, tehlikeli 有害的 шкідливий مضر، مضرت رساں có hại 有害的
6 (of a part of the body) painful, or in a weak state She has a bad heart; I have a bad head (= headache) today. swak مَريض، ضَعيف، مُتأَلِّم болезнен, болен nemocný, bolavý smertefuld; svag; dårlig schlecht άρρωστος, αδύναμος que duele; enfermo nõrk, valus بد؛ خراب heikko, kipeä malade, sale לָקוּי slab, težak rossz, beteges lemah, sakit sekali slæmur, lasinn, bilaður malato 加減の悪い 몸이 아픈 nesveikas, skaudantis, silpnas slims; nevesels sakit zwak smertefull; svak chory doente bolnav больной chorý, boľavý bolan bolan dålig, svag, ont [] เจ็บปวด; ไม่แข็งแรง ağrılı, ağrıyan 痛的 хворий; сильний (про біль) ناقص đau yếu 痛的
7 unwell I am feeling quite bad today. sleg, siek, olik غَيْر صِحّي، مَريض болен špatně, zle uvel schlecht άσχημα, δυσάρεστα mal haiglane بد huonovointinen mal לא טוֹב loš rosszul sakit lasinn male 病気の 기분이 좋지 않은 nesveikas, sergantis slims; nevesels tidak sihat niet goed uvel chory mal rău, prost скверный zle slabo loše dålig, sjuk ไม่สบาย rahatsız, hasta, keyifsiz 不舒服的 нездоровий خراب không khoẻ 不舒服的
8 serious or severe a bad accident; a bad mistake. erg, ernstig خَطير، شَديد сериозен závažný alvorlig; slem schlimm σοβαρός, κρίσιμος grave tõsine شدید vakava grave קָשֶה, חָמוּר strašan, težak súlyos serius (mjög) slæmur, alvarlegur grave ひどい 심한 didelis, rimtas rupja kļūda teruk zwaar alvorlig, slem poważny grave grav серьёзный, грубый vážny, ťažký težak težak allvarlig, svår รุนแรง ciddî, ağır, kötü 嚴重的 тяжкий; грубий شدید nghiêm trọng 严重的
9 (of a debt) not likely to be paid The firm loses money every year from bad debts. swak لا يُمْكِن دَفْعُـه невъзстановим pochybný dårlig ungünstig επισφαλής (για χρέος) incobrable lootusetu سوخت شده epävarma douteux חוֹב אָבוּד nenaplativ kinnlevőség tidak terbayar vafasamur (di dubbia esigibilità) 不良の 가짜의 beviltiškas šaubīgi/ bezcerīgi [] lapuk kwaad uerholdelig (fordring) nieściągalny não pago îndoielnic безнадёжный nevymožiteľný dvomljiv nenaplativ, bez pokrića oindrivbar (หนี้) เสีย ödenmeyen 壞帳，倒帳 безнадійний ناقابلِ واپسی قرض nợ khó đòi 坏帐，倒帐
adv badly
1 not well, efficiently or satisfactorily He plays tennis very badly. swak بِصورةٍ سَيّئـه лошо špatně dårligt schlecht άσχημα, αναποτελεσματικά, μη ικανοποιητικά mal halvasti بد؛ ناشیانه huonosti mal בְּאוֹפֶן גָרוּע बुरी तरह से loše rosszul buruk, jelek illa male 下手に 서투르게 blogai slikti tidak cekap slecht dårlig, slett źle mal rău, prost плохо zle slabo loše dåligt ไม่ดี; ไม่น่าพอใจ kötü, fena 糟糕地 погано پُری طرح tồi; dở 坏
2 to a serious or severe extent He badly needs a haircut; The dress is badly stained. ernstig, erg بِصورةٍ كبيرةٍ / ماسَّةٍ много силно nutně, strašně alvorligt; stærkt dringend, sehr πολύ, σε μεγάλο βαθμό seriamente, desesperadamente; muy üliväga شدیداً kovasti sérieusement בְּאוֹפֶן חָמוּר jako, intenzivno nagyon sangat mjög, illilega seriamente ひどく 대단히 labai, smarkiai stipri; ļoti sangat erg sårt/hardt tiltrengt poważnie muito serios, tare крайне, очень сильно nutne; vážne, naliehavo resno, pošteno užasno illa, svårt, i hög grad อย่างแรง fena halde, çok, çok fazla, adamakıllı 嚴重地 дуже, сильно شدید طور پر lắm rất 严重地
n badness
slegheid سوءٌ лошота špatná kvalita, zkaženost ondskab die Schlechtigkeit κακία maldad kurjus بدی؛ شر pahuus méchanceté רוֹע खराबी loše stanje rosszaság keburukan illska, vonska cattiveria 悪いこと 나쁜 상태 blogumas sliktums keburukan slechtheid vondskap lichość, zły stan maldade răutate негодность skazenosť; zloba hudobija loša stvar dålighet ความเลว kötülük 壞 непридатність; шкідливість برائی sự xấu; sự tồi 坏
badly off
not having much especially money We can't go on holiday – we are too badly off. arm مُعدَم،فَقير беден být v tísni (finanční), vést si špatně er dårligt stillet (finanziell) übel dran sein σε κακή οικονομική κατάσταση andar mal de dinero, estar en un período de escasez/de vacas flacas viletsas olukorras در وضع بد rahapulassa dans la gêne être עָנִי पैसे नहीं होना slabostojeći rosszul áll miskin illa settur passarsela male 生活が苦しい 가난하여 sunkioje (materialinėje) padėtyje trūcīgs tiada wang arm dårlig stilt źle sytuowany em má situação probleme financiare обедневший v tiesni v pomanjkanju siromašan dåligt ställt จน fakir, yoksul 缺少(錢)的 в скрутному становищі تنگدستی túng thiếu 缺少的
feel bad (about something)
to feel upset or ashamed about something I feel bad about forgetting to telephone you. sleg voel يَشْعُرُ بالخَجَل والأضطِراب чувствам се зле litovat něčeho skamme sig; være ked af sich unwohl fühlen αισθάνομαι άσχημα για κτ. sentirse mal, sentir vergüenza, tener remordimientos kahju olema متأسف بودن؛ احساس بدی داشتن olla pahoillaan être embêté (à propos de) לְהַרגִיש רַע खराब लगना uzrujavati se kellemetlenül érzi magát kalut, malu líða illa út af, þykja leitt essere addolorato 後悔している 미안하게 생각하다 nepatogiai jaustis slikti justies (par kaut ko); pārdzīvot rasa bersalah spijt hebben (van iets) være lei seg; skjemmes mieć wyrzuty sumienia sentir vergonha a-i părea rău (de) сожалеть (о чём-л.) ľutovať biti nerodno (zaradi) osećati se loše ha dåligt samvete för, skämmas för รู้สึกไม่ดี üzülmek, üzüntü duymak 懊惱的 засмучений; присоромлений شرمندگی بُرا احساس buồn; xấu hổ 懊恼的
go from bad to worse
to get into an even worse condition etc than before Things are going from bad to worse for the firm – not only are we losing money but there's going to be a strike as well. al hoe erger word مِن سَيئٍ إلى أَسْوَأ влошавам се zhoršovat se, jít od desíti k pěti gå fra dårligt til slemt; blive værre og værre immer schlechter werden πηγαίνω από το κακό στο χειρότερο ir de mal en peor vihma käest räästa alla sattuma از بد بدتر شدن joutua ojasta allikkoon empirer לִפּוֹל מֵהַפָּח אֶל הַפָּחַת बद से बदतर होना sve lošije egyre romlik makin buruk, memburuk fara úr öskunni í eldinn, versna andare di male in peggio ますます悪くなる 점점 악화되다 eiti vis blogyn aizvien ļaunāk bertambah buruk van kwaad tot erger vervallen bli verre og verre pogarszać się ir de mal a pior a merge din rău în mai rău становиться хуже и хуже ísť od deviatich k piatim iti čedalje slabše pogoršati se bli värre och värre ความวัวยังไม่ทันหาย ความควายเข้ามาแทรก giderek kötüleşmek 每況愈下 ставати все гіршим بد سے بد تر ہونا trở nên xấu hơn 每况愈下
not bad
quite good Is she a good swimmer?' `She's not bad.' nie sleg nie ليْسَ سيِّئا не е зле ujde to, je to docela dobré ikke værst; ikke dårlig 'gar nicht schlecht σχετικά καλός nada mal üsna hea, pole paha نسبتاً خوب mukiinmenevä pas mauvais לא רַע खराब नहीं nije loše kitűnő lumayan ekki sem verstur non male なかなか良い 괜찮은, 꽤 좋은 neblogas gluži labi agak baik niet slecht ikke verst/dårlig niezły não é mau destul de bun неплохой celkom ujde (kar) dober nije loše inte dålig[], ganska bra ค่อนข้างดี oldukça iyi, hiç te fena sayılmaz 不錯 непоганий (برا نہیں، (اچھا khá tốt 不错
too bad
unfortunate It's too bad that he has left. jammer سيِّئ جدا، من سوء الحَظ жалко to je škoda, to je mrzuté, nepříjemné ærgerligt; synd zu dumm κακώς pena kahju küll بد شد؛ متأسفم harmillinen dommage (que) חָבַל बहुत खराब nažalost kár sayang sekali leiðinlegt (að) peccato 残念な 운이 나쁜 gaila ļoti žēl sayang sekali zonde så synd/leitt, for galt, ergerlig szkoda pena păcat (că) (как) жаль veľká škoda, že škoda (da) šteta synd โชคร้าย çok kötü, çok yazık 不幸 жаль پہت برا đáng tiếc 不幸
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