1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
I'm afraid you performed quite badly in our last rehearsal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terribly
to a great degree
blood donors are badly needed this time of year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of badly
Their preferred presidential candidate, Saeed Jalili, badly lost the election last year.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Some have fled from a country where they have been badly treated by the police.
—Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
Everything about Amy’s situation reflects badly on Jacobson-Moore’s senior management, which handled both sides of the Buckleys’ prenup.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Consider gold, an investment that usually does well when stocks and bonds do badly.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Some have fled from a country where they have been badly treated by the police.
—Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
Everything about Amy’s situation reflects badly on Jacobson-Moore’s senior management, which handled both sides of the Buckleys’ prenup.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Consider gold, an investment that usually does well when stocks and bonds do badly.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for badly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badly
Adverb
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This marks their 12th tag team title reign on the main roster and 13th overall, and at a time when Raw’s tag division is poorly booked, the all-time great duo is the right team to lead the charge.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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It was so poorly received that the sequel has been universally ignored by all the media that followed.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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To Graydon Carter, a founder and coeditor of Air Mail and former editor of Vanity Fair, all of this seems terribly unfair.—
Nathan King,
Architectural Digest,
17 Apr. 2025
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Something would have to go terribly wrong for the Yankees to give up on the 2025 season.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Remember, too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly!—
Amber Smith,
Discover Magazine,
3 Apr. 2024
-
That started off bad and got better.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2023
Adverb
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Though experts have maintained that aviation remains extremely safe, fatal incidents have raised concerns about flying.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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Revel is extremely talented, but the Bills need a corner who can step in and be good to go from the beginning of the season.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Miami closed to within 85-79 very late in the third, a stretch when Miami briefly gave the Cavs problems with their zone defense.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2025
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Mansfield is a very desirable place to live, work and play.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Within the first 100 days of his second administration President Donald Trump has been incredibly busy, implementing major changes from enacting tariffs to targeting diversity initiatives.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Adam Wharton falls into this category too and for that reason completes my midfield.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Many more children were affected by the bombing, too.—
Jenni Carlson,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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For a generation of music-and-fashion obsessives, Williams, 52, is revered as the original hip-hop eccentric: highly expressive, unapologetically audacious, unafraid to flout menswear conventions, especially the hypermasculine tropes ascribed to rap music.—
Chioma Nnadi,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
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In a highly unusual twist, the medical contractor involved, Armor Correctional Health Services, was also criminally prosecuted, successfully, on seven counts of intentionally falsifying medical records and one count of abusing or neglecting a resident in a penal institution.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badly. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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