BAD (worse, worst)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bad mean? 

• BAD (noun)
  The noun BAD has 1 sense:

1. that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency

  Familiarity information: BAD used as a noun is very rare.

• BAD (adjective)
  The adjective BAD has 14 senses:

1. having undesirable or negative qualities

2. very intense

3. feeling physical discomfort or pain ('tough' is occasionally used colloquially for 'bad')

4. (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition

5. feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

6. not capable of being collected

7. below average in quality or performance

8. nonstandard

9. not financially safe or secure

10. physically unsound or diseased

11. capable of harming

12. characterized by wickedness or immorality

13. reproduced fraudulently

14. not working properly

  Familiarity information: BAD used as an adjective is familiar.

• BAD (adverb)
  The adverb BAD has 2 senses:

1. with great intensity ('bad' is a nonstandard variant for 'badly')

2. very much; strongly

  Familiarity information: BAD used as an adverb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BAD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

bad; badness

Context example:

take the bad with the good

Hypernyms ("bad" is a kind of...):

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bad"):

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)

evil (that which causes harm or destruction or misfortune)

unsoundness (not mentally or physically healthy)

liability (the quality of being something that holds you back)

inadvisability (the quality of being ill-advised)

Antonym:

good (that which is pleasing or valuable or useful)

• BAD (adjective)

Declension: comparative and superlative

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having undesirable or negative qualities

Context example:

the movie was a bad choice

Similar:

crappy; icky; lousy; rotten; shitty; stinking; stinky (very bad)

ill (distressing)

incompetent; unskilled (not doing a good job)

mediocre (poor to middling in quality)

naughty (badly behaved)

negative (having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant)

pretty ((used ironically) unexpectedly bad)

no-good; rubber (returned for lack of funds)

severe (very bad in degree or extent)

swingeing (severe; punishingly bad)

uncool ((spoken slang) unfashionable and boring)

unsuitable (not conducive to good moral development)

hopeless ((informal to emphasize how bad it is) beyond hope of management or reform)

hard; tough (unfortunate or hard to bear)

fearful; frightful (extremely distressing)

deplorable; distressing; lamentable; pitiful; sad; sorry (bad; unfortunate)

corked; corky ((of wine) tainted in flavor by a cork containing excess tannin)

abominable; atrocious; awful; dreadful; painful; terrible; unspeakable (exceptionally bad or displeasing)

horrid (exceedingly bad)

Also:

disobedient (not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority)

evil (morally bad or wrong)

worst ((superlative of 'bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition)

worse ((comparative of 'bad') inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability)

unfavorable; unfavourable (not encouraging or approving or pleasing)

Attribute:

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Antonym:

good (having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified)

Derivation:

badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Very intense

Synonyms:

bad; big

Context example:

a bad storm

Similar:

intense (possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree)

Derivation:

badness (used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Feeling physical discomfort or pain ('tough' is occasionally used colloquially for 'bad')

Synonyms:

bad; tough

Context example:

he was feeling tough after a restless night

Similar:

uncomfortable (providing or experiencing physical discomfort)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

badness (used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition

Synonyms:

bad; spoiled; spoilt

Context example:

a refrigerator full of spoilt food

Similar:

stale (lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

Synonyms:

bad; regretful; sorry

Context example:

he felt bad about breaking the vase

Also:

penitent; repentant (feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Not capable of being collected

Synonyms:

bad; uncollectible

Context example:

a bad (or uncollectible) debt

Similar:

invalid (having no cogency or legal force)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Below average in quality or performance

Context example:

a bad recital

Similar:

inferior (of low or inferior quality)

Derivation:

badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Nonstandard

Context example:

so-called bad grammar

Similar:

nonstandard (not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community)

Domain category:

linguistics (the scientific study of language)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Not financially safe or secure

Synonyms:

bad; high-risk; risky; speculative

Context example:

speculative business enterprises

Similar:

unsound (not sound financially)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Physically unsound or diseased

Synonyms:

bad; unfit; unsound

Context example:

unsound teeth

Similar:

unhealthy (not in or exhibiting good health in body or mind)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Capable of harming

Context example:

smoking is bad for you

Similar:

harmful (causing or capable of causing harm)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Characterized by wickedness or immorality

Context example:

led a very bad life

Similar:

evil (morally bad or wrong)

Derivation:

badness (that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Reproduced fraudulently

Synonyms:

bad; forged

Context example:

a forged twenty dollar bill

Similar:

counterfeit; imitative (not genuine; imitating something superior)

Sense 14

Meaning:

Not working properly

Synonyms:

bad; defective

Context example:

a defective appliance

Similar:

malfunctioning; nonfunctional (not performing or able to perform its regular function)

• BAD (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

With great intensity ('bad' is a nonstandard variant for 'badly')

Synonyms:

bad; badly

Context example:

we need water bad

Sense 2

Meaning:

Very much; strongly

Synonyms:

bad; badly

Context example:

he wants a bicycle so bad he can taste it

 Context examples 

He noticed the bad grammar used by his shipmates, and made a point of mentally correcting and reconstructing their crudities of speech.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

His wife is a bad lot, though.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They are very bad reasoners, and vehemently given to opposition, unless when they happen to be of the right opinion, which is seldom their case.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Bad, sir, very bad, but an old man has few pleasures.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I was dreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire’s pig. If you have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

"They are, indeed," said the Scarecrow, "and I am thankful I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world than being a Scarecrow."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

This would be a bad time to make a large purchase not only because of Mars’ being under siege by Uranus, but also due to Mercury retrograde.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

“Never saw the inside of one, worse luck,” was the answer. “I had to dig it out for myself.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Lucy was breathing somewhat stertorously, and her face was at its worst, for the open mouth showed the pale gums.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

While he did not amount to much, it is true—that is, physically—I'd hardly say he was as bad as all that.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)