bad

adjective · adverb · noun

Simple meaning

not good, or behaving in a way that is wrong

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bad

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbæd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

chiefly applied to a person's state of health
Sickly, unhealthy, unwell.
Unfavorable; negative; not good.
Harmful, especially unhealthy; liable to cause health problems.
often childish
Not behaving; behaving badly; misbehaving; mischievous or disobedient.
Unskilled; of limited ability; not good.
Of poor physical appearance.

adverb

now colloquial
Badly; poorly.

noun

Something that is bad; a harm or evil.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

bad newsbad weatherbad luckbad faithbad tastebad idea

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Word Relationships

Similar in idea, different in strength, tone or register.

Stronger

terrible , Strongly negative.
appalling , Shockingly bad.

Softer

poor , Below standard, stated plainly.

More formal

inadequate , Formal: not good enough.

More casual

rubbish , Informal dismissal.

Opposite

good

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

bad blocknounCompound term
A block (usually one sector) that cannot reliably hold data.
bad bloodnounCompound term
A feeling of ill will arousing active hostility.
bad checknounCompound term
A check that is dishonored on presentation because of insufficient funds.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: sickly or unhealthy or unwell

bigInformal

adverb

Sense: badly

evilArchaic

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poorshoddyunkindmisguideddire

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Better Words
35 Better Words for “Bad” (Grouped by What You Mean)
“Bad” covers everything from a rainy day to a moral catastrophe. Here are 35 sharper alternatives, grouped by the kind of bad you actually mean.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.