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

They were badly beaten and had been shot, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

Loop’s status has been a hot-button issue around the team after his badly missed 44-yard field goal in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season kept the Ravens out of the playoffs and accelerated the end of the John Harbaugh era. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Barely a week goes by without another story about rogue agents or models behaving badly. — Don Schuerman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

The gray 2006 Honda Accord was badly damaged but landed upright on a rocky beach, according to photos from the scene. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 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