badly

adverb

bad·​ly ˈbad-lē 

1

: in a bad manner

played badly

2

: to a great or intense degree

want something badly

see also:

badly off for not badly think badly of

Synonyms of badly

• poorly
• bad

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

Meanwhile, Pattinson is like a manic roller coaster on screen, increasingly off the rails as the weight of Emma’s reveal has Charlie questioning everything and reacting badly to the situation. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

That sentiment has grown especially loud this season after Nikola Jović signed an early extension but has underperformed badly. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026

Burden’s family legacy was fractured by infidelity and a laissez faire attitude, at least in the public sphere, toward men behaving badly. —Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson was especially emphatic about how badly his city's police department was affected by the federal immigration protests in the summer and fall. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing badly

• badly off
• badly off for
• not badly
• think badly of

Rhymes for badly

• gladly
• madly
• sadly
• comradely

Kids 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