Synonyms of bad
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as in unacceptable 
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as in evil
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as in harmful
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as in naughty
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as in sad
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as in defective
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as in rotten
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as in unpleasant
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as in terrible
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as in poorly
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as in null
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as in malicious
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as in sick
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as in dangerous
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as in bad
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as in poor
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as in ominous
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as in badly
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as in severely
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as in no
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as in wrong
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as in disease
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as in badness
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as in misfortune
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Try This Instead
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a bad first attempt at making meat loaf resulted in a soggy, inedible mess
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2
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
stealing is just plain bad
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3
as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
sitting too close to the television is said to be bad for the eyes
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4
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
the children were bad, so they didn't get dessert
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5
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
hearing about the world's miseries always makes him feel bad
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6
as in defective
having a fault
a bad video connection that is causing some picture loss
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7
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
I think the milk has turned bad
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8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the air in the damp basement had a very bad smell
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9
as in terrible
of low quality
bad shoes that fell apart within a week
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10
as in poorly
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
I've been feeling bad all week with this cold
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11
as in null
having no legal or binding force
all known claims on the property were dismissed by the court as bad
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12
as in malicious
slang
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
with all of his tattoos and piercings, that skinhead looks like one really bad dude
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as in badly
in an unsatisfactory way
you didn't do too bad on the treadmill test
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as in wrong
that which is morally unacceptable
there's bad and good in people of every race and nationality
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1
2
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm
one of the ill effects of winter weather is the rapid spread of germs as people spend more time together indoors
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3
as in bad
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
since I'm ill, I guess that I'll just have to miss that dental appointment
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
such ill behavior will not be tolerated
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5
as in ominous
being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come
the abrupt breakdown of negotiations appears to be an ill omen for this ongoing hostage situation
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1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
in those days society treated debtors very ill, even going so far as to put them in prison
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2
as in no
certainly not
you can ill afford to miss another day of work
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1
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
chicken pox and the other ills that were once a fixture of childhood
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2
as in badness
that which is morally unacceptable
idealistic people who try to cure all of our society's ills
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3
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
the travelers merrily set off on their journey, scarcely imagining the ills that would befall them
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Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
bad news
bad weather
bad luck
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bad
Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Manchester City are unlikely to be this bad again next season.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
J. Richard Gott, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2021
The researchers think that by expelling their bad-tasting innards when fish are nibbling nearby, sea squirts may drive the fish away.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2015
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023
In the Avenge the Earth storyline, those big bads included Apocalypse, the first mutant, and, of course, Kang the Conqueror.
—Joe George, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023
Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
Among 2,614 guests aboard the line’s Rotterdam ship, 107 reported being ill during its current voyage, along with a dozen crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Zinara Rathnayake, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
Elevated to the starting lineup after center Kristaps Porzingis fell ill shortly before tipoff, the affable 7-footer scored 14 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting; grabbed 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards; and blocked three shots.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2025
Perspective and home truths As far as Howe was concerned, there was no looming crisis after Brentford and no panacea for his team’s ills.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bad 
Adjective
Before being summoned for the tense meeting, lawyers in the section debated their bad options, but came to increasingly believe that someone should step forward to save the jobs of the others, people familiar with the discussions said.
—Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Manchester City are unlikely to be this bad again next season.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
Adverb
Ignoring one of them can lead you to bad-looking maps no one would prefer.
—J. Richard Gott, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2021
The researchers think that by expelling their bad-tasting innards when fish are nibbling nearby, sea squirts may drive the fish away.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2015
Noun
Good drama is the choice between two bads.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023
In the Avenge the Earth storyline, those big bads included Apocalypse, the first mutant, and, of course, Kang the Conqueror.
—Joe George, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023
Adjective
As a gesture, King Abdullah said his country was ready to take in 2,000 ill children from Gaza.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
Among 2,614 guests aboard the line’s Rotterdam ship, 107 reported being ill during its current voyage, along with a dozen crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Adverb
But after his father fell ill, Mr. Rameshwaran dropped out of school to support his family in Carfax Estate in Dickoya, a tea-growing region east of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.
—Zinara Rathnayake, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 2025
Elevated to the starting lineup after center Kristaps Porzingis fell ill shortly before tipoff, the affable 7-footer scored 14 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting; grabbed 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards; and blocked three shots.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
Although extreme weather was responsible for France’s ills, heavy rains in California fortunately fell before and after the grape-growing season, and America was spared of any severe wine country wildfire events.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2025
Perspective and home truths As far as Howe was concerned, there was no looming crisis after Brentford and no panacea for his team’s ills.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bad
Thesaurus Entries Near bad
Cite this Entry
“Bad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad. Accessed 24 Feb. 2025.
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