1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: to a great or intense degree
want something badly
Phrases
badly off for
British
: strongly in need of (something or someone)
It may seem pie in the sky in the current financial climate, but few could argue that for a city of its size and prestige, Edinburgh is badly off for large-scale sports facilities.—
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
The Evening News (Edinburgh)
: fairly or acceptably well
The economy is doing not badly and looks even better than it really is.—Tom Teepen
Tom Teepen
: to have an unfavorable or low opinion of (someone or something)
Will you think badly of me if I disagree?
Examples of badly in a Sentence
He played badly but I played even worse.
The failure reflects badly on the administration.
She wanted the job badly.
I'm badly in need of a vacation.
His fingers were badly frozen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Both started each of Madrid’s first five games and were then badly missed against PSG when ruled out through injury (Alexander-Arnold) and suspension (Huijsen).
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Mile after mile of the region’s precious tree canopy was badly frayed or destroyed.
—Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Taylor faced Serrano for the first time in 2022, and though many observers believed Serrano deserved the decision, especially after badly hurting Taylor midway through, Taylor squeaked out the split decision to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
—Josh Katzowitz, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Many of these homes, which were badly needed due to the ongoing housing shortage across the country, are now sitting idle on the market because high mortgage rates and growing economic uncertainty are keeping buyers on the sidelines.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
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Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Mile after mile of the region’s precious tree canopy was badly frayed or destroyed.
—Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Taylor faced Serrano for the first time in 2022, and though many observers believed Serrano deserved the decision, especially after badly hurting Taylor midway through, Taylor squeaked out the split decision to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
—Josh Katzowitz, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Many of these homes, which were badly needed due to the ongoing housing shortage across the country, are now sitting idle on the market because high mortgage rates and growing economic uncertainty are keeping buyers on the sidelines.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badly. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
badly
adverb
bad·ly
ˈbad-lē 
worse
ˈwərs
; worst
ˈwərst
1
: in a bad manner
played badly
2
: very much
wanted the jeans badly
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